[Episode 38596] [Episode 38596]Parademons obtained the first few specimens. Some grouping of young men native to the region. The Soul Furnace worked quickly and their conversion was complete.
Where native humans had been fed to it, a new type of soldier for Darkseid's armies was decanted. Tall and thin, featureless, technocircuitry burned into their flesh, with fingers that extended out into claws. Black shiny carapaces, except for the pale of their faceplates. Living armor bonded permanently to the flesh. Their memories and individualities burned from them in the Furnace. Not terribly powerful, but he could churn these out in droves while the Forge was being made.
What to call them? DeSaad had thought on this for some time. Finally he decided that they would be known as Mamluk from now on, based on something he'd run across in the historical papers of this region. The least powerful of the soldiers, but well suited for their new position as cannon fodder.
The Mamluk went out in squads to capture and recruit other regional humans as the parademons and other forces destroyed the military and security forces nearby.
Darkseid was unhappy.
You might think he would be smiling. After all, his planned conquest of this world was going fairly well. His forces were moving faster and hitting harder than this world was ready for. By the time their ruling body, this United Nations, could even bring themselves to a vote he'd have destroyed most of their military forces.
The reason he was unhappy was that it was going so smoothly. Here there were no heroes capable of giving him even a modest challenge. Other than nuclear weapons, these humans had nothing which could do more than momentarily slow his own forces. No superpowered heroes had yet risen against him, no monsters stirring from deep slumber to defend this world, no uprising against him.
He had come to this world and found sheep waiting for the slaughter. It was oddly disappointing.
At several points, boom tubes had been opened into large metropolitan areas and large numbers of the populace subdued and loaded into transports back to Apokolips. He doubted half would survive the first year, so weak and fragile were they.
Japan supposedly had some heroes, but they were so damn young it didn't look like even that would be a challenge.
Darkseid decided a test of that island would be good. He'd already used the boom tubes with parademons and transports to hit their main city and herd a fair chunk of populace into their new lives as slave workers back in the slums. So far he'd avoided the area these heroes had been sighted in, just to get them to come to him. As he'd almost gone a full day so far without any response - he'd have to strike into the heart of their territory and see what developed.
Perhaps they were already dead? Or cowards that were in hiding? Sensible of them if they were, but boring. Time to issue a challenge.
Darkseid's eyes flicked over available resources. Ah. Just the thing.
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(Posted Fri, 07 Nov 2003 14:12)
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