Chapter 110 : Forging in space

Author note : Hey guys ! I didn't believe I would make it this week. I was a bit sick and slept for a day and then lazed about for another… Not very very productive or serious, I know… Anyways, it is here and on Patréon.

You can check it out over there using this link : https://www.patre*n.com/user?u=66371596 or by searching for Cathbel on Patréon's search engine. You'll find up to 10 chapters ahead for both the Squib who became Iron Lad and Marvel: the Author. Also, it'll be there that all new series will find themselve first so… check it out !

As always, I welcome comments, reviews and (especially) stones ! Have a good read !

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Ned was in the forge hammering away at an Eighth Metal curved plate when he felt the first tremors that clued him in as to the kind of situation they found themselves in. Constantine and Ned had worked tirelessly for a couple of nights in order to secure and expand a space inside the spaceship that he and Steel would use to keep working on their weapons.

Given the fact that they didn't have all that much time before being confronted with the Third Army, they settled on building torpedoes instead of the photon canons they had tested in the cave. They still had those, but they didn't see much improvement and would thus be scarcely used.

For torpedoes, only the warhead contained the harmful Rage energy that needed to be contained until impact. It was a bit of a conundrum even in this case since the energy dug away at the warhead from the inside but it couldn't be too thick either or it wouldn't blow up when it was finally fired… The solution they used was to used an Eighth Metal lining : the Divine Metal was sturdy and magical enough so as to resist the corrosive effects of Rage and could even be enchanted to act like a detonator on impact.

From the moment they finished to prepare the forge/workshop area to now, as the battle seemingly started, Ned hadn't left this place and continued to make weapons and ammunitions.

As for who else was on the ship… Steel and Constantine, who were also needed to work on the weapons sometimes. Wonder Woman, whose ship they were in. Batman, who didn't say much beyond tactical talks was manning the weapons. Superman had also come along, but he was propelling himself on his own, like the bugged character that he was.

His children had been left on Earth to pick up the absentee heroes' slack. That, and despite the fact that he kept an eye on his other self's machinations, he couldn't be certain that there wasn't already a plan in place on Earth… So Ned asked them to keep a look out for any signs of the Metal.

Curious about the situation, Ned closed his eyes and connected to his armor on the bridge.

Like a screen suddenly lighting up, his vision of the bridge and the people on it appeared. Batman and Wonder Woman were hard at work and communicating quickly. Constantine was closing his eyes… Maybe he was casting a spell. Or he was just terrified. As for Steel, he seemed restless with nothing to do.

Ned turned to his former mentor :

« Don't you have a new technology for space travel ? »

« I do. But Batman's ordered us to stay on the ship until further notice. I think he's currently assessing the situation. »

« Makes sense. » Ned nodded in agreement. And then, he turned his gaze inward toward what he'd come to his 'status screen'. At the moment, since his body wasn't in the armor, he only had its functions showed… And there were lots ! Most people probably wouldn't have the patience to scroll through the long lists of equipment and masteries. Then again, he wasn't exactly human anymore and what he would have found tedious before, was important and interesting, especially at the moment.

Unfortunately for him, Ned didn't have time to implement any contingencies against the Third Army or the Malthusians inside his armor. He was much too preoccupied with working on the ship's weaponry. Therefore, he wasn't very keen on going out there to fight the murderous dolls. Even if he wasn't in danger of being assimilated contrary to the rest of the crew…

« Maybe this wasn't such a good idea… » Ned muttered as he glanced at the others.

Although he knew how the Third Army basically worked, there were a lot of things that weren't mentioned in the comics. For example, did they keep the memories and skills of their former existence ? And since the Malthusians were basically connected to them through their 'Will', could they also access it ? Because if it was the case, then… Losing even one person could prove fatal. They'd know everything they knew…

Usually, Ned assumed that the 'guardians' being the blue judgemental douchebags that they are, they probably wouldn't pay much attention to their little group. Except maybe for Superman. However, if they knew how much Ned had revealed about their plans… They would want to know how he found out.

Ned looked outside to the distant scene of fighting. Superman was over there… He zoomed in on the battle and heaved a sigh of relief. The Man of Steel wasn't acting cocky. He kept his distance by using hit and run tactics and his heat vision. He idly wondered how hot it had to be to still be so powerful in the void of space and how much energy it cost the Kryptonian.

However, Ned soon started when he saw what Superman was fighting against… It didn't look like the memory he had of the Third Army, the silver-ish skeletal body with the green and exposed brains. That when he realized that Batman wasn't actually using the Rage cannons and torpedoes but the ship's standard weaponry.

« Who the heck are they anyway ? » Ned asked the only other idle one of the ship.

« According to Batman, they are pirates. However, given the fact that we're all knew to this space travel business, I have my doubts. It's true they attacked us after demanding we hand over the ship, but I think it's too little to know for sure who they are… »

Ned shrugged and considered the situation for a moment, before he decided to simply disconnect from the current body. Whatever drill the Batman had planned for the team, he'd have to make do without him since he was much too busy forging the weapons they would use in the coming fight. The weapons that would likely play a massive role in keeping them all alive.

So, Ned's consciousness returned to his body and he immediately resumed his work. After he finished the torpedo he was working on, he took a short break to think and rest his spirits. The problem had been on his mind for a while now. A sort of fear that his armor wouldn't be able to deal with the Third Army. And while he wasn't exactly at risk of being taken over (at least, he didn't think so), if his phylactery was damaged, he could still be killed. Not only that, the Malthusians were in a class of their own. After all, they didn't become the guardians of the universe simply by being old. They discovered and harnessed a number of the universe's energy, starting with the Green light of Willpower.

Another problem was that he didn't know enough about their race or their capabilities. He knew they held their own against the Green Lanterns and most of the other Lantern Corps, but since they had created the Green power battery, along with a few others, they might have installed safeguards in it and the rings they distributed.

« Will Earth magic work ? More importantly, will my technomancy work ? » Ned muttered to himself.

It wasn't impossible for him to harness Red light of Rage, but he didn't like to work with this energy. Especially not since he knew that the energy field of the motional electromagnetic spectrum was actually a finite resource. Of course, most resources were finite… It was the same with the metal composing his armor and perhaps even magic itself.

« No, that's not the reason why I don't want to use it… »

Rage… was corrupting. And he assumed the other emotions, especially those powered by the energy field were the same. Compassion twisted the personality of their wielders so much that they turned from hardened criminals into benevolent monks. And he didn't know if Larfleeze had always been the way he was, but he was pretty sure the Orange light hadn't helped his avarice.

Simply put, he knew too little about them and the little he knew dissuaded him to wield them. Despite the fact that they were powerful weapons.

Ned looked at the finished torpedo lying securely on the table and its golden sheen. Eighth Metal… It was a divine metal and gods were entities that lived beyond this reality, contrary to the Guardians. Unless they grew powerful to the point of rivaling the Gods, he concluded that his enchanted armor and equipment should be effective against both the Malthusians and the third army.

Ned nodded and got up. It was time to make another torpedo.