Episode 114: Veganism
Takes place 1 September 2012.
This is a primarily Renegade episode.
Short version
The Renegade confronts Grayven 16, and their souls merge together, with the Renegade's personality being dominant.
Longer version
The Renegade takes his fleet to confront Grayven 16, interrupting the depopulation of another world, but instead of Grayven, he finds the violent cannibalistic Citizenry, and captures Astarte, Wonder Woman's memory-wiped aunt, who was leading the assault. Wonder Woman challenges Astarte to a formal duel for leadership of the Citizenry, and defeats her, intending to lead them to reform; the Renegade is skeptical, but lets her try.
Grayven 16 then attacks Vega and the Crown Imperium, damaging several worlds and kidnapping Lynne. The Renegade kills the remaining kidnapper and gives pursuit; with Lynne's help, he successfully forces Grayven into a retreat. However, Grayven then activates an ancient artefact, the Orrery, that controls the Vega Systems, intending to undermine the Renegade's divine domain by destroying what he has built.
The Renegade issues a challenge to single combat, which Grayven accepts, but Grayven is able to neutralise the Renegade's yellow constructs, and overpowers him. In desperation, the Renegade uses his orange ring to merge their souls together. Grayven initially thinks that he has won and killed the Renegade, whose body vanishes, but indications of the Renegade's presence start leaking through in his thoughts and actions, and then Artemis, whom he has summoned to bow to him, uses her own god-powers to bring the Renegade to the fore. The resulting Grayven is a little confused, but has both Grayvens' memories and essentially the Renegade's personality. With Artemis and Lynne's support, he takes on Grayven 16's identity and claims victory in order to stand down the attacking fleet.
The title likely refers to the two Grayvens fighting over the Vega systems, and the Citizenry's "porridge" diet.
- Alternate Universe: Paol (of Warhammer Fantasy) is shown again. He's helping the elves with their reproduction problems, as well as getting their advice for his own plans to build a worldwide waystone network and make magic more orderly (thus weakening the Chaos Gods).
- Apocalypse How:
- Astarte, working for Grayven 16, is using omnivorous snakes to completely depopulate worlds of sentient life.
- Grayven 16 uses the Orrery to disrupt the structure of the Vega Systems, including smashing stars into each other.
- Bring It: The Renegade repeats the Godspeech challenge that he issued to the Sheeda. This time, he actually gets an answer. Astarte responds to his challenge, but loses.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Thanks to her Omega Effect gun, Astarte takes down Barda with little effort.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: Although the Renegade is able to get a few good hits in, he's ultimately no match against the real Grayven in a one on one battle, especially with his usage of power rings (mostly) disabled.
- Deadly Dodging: When Astarte's gun is damaged and losing containment, she throws it at the Renegade — who throws it through a boom tube to one of her ships before it explodes.
- I'm a Humanitarian: The Citizenry routinely turn the entire sapient and animal populations of worlds into "porridge", which is their sole food source. The Renegade is unimpressed by their lack of ambition.
- Internal Reveal:
- Superman finds out about Karsta Wor-Ul, the Doomsday warship, and his cousin Kara. Only the last of them is pleased to see him, though.
- Wonder Woman and the Renegade learn that Astarte is Hippolyta's sister, making her the former's aunt, and that Astarte and Hippolyta's father is Ares.
- After being mind-whammied by merging with Grayven 16 and then shot with personality arrows to turn back into himself, the Renegade reveals to Artemis that his name wasn't originally Grayven and he was originally just faking it.
- I Shall Taunt You: Invoked in Godspeech by the Renegade, who does this so that it will either intimidate his opponents, strengthening his yellow constructs, or make himself more significant to them, increasing his New God abilities."Grayven to all the pirates and cannibals who are attacking this world. Grayven to all the miserable failures at civilisation up there. Bringing a fleet to exterminate a pre-industrial world? How weak-willed you must be that this is the limit of your ambition? How moronic must you be that you cannot build on the remains yourself? Did you even build those ships, or did someone take pity on you and make them a gift? Do they pat you on the head like a child with a full potty when you show them the death you have caused with the cowardly press of a button?"
(in Godspeech) WHERE IS YOUR NAME, THAT IS WRITTEN IN THE STARS?! - Laser-Guided Karma: After the merger, Grayven finds himself wearing the Renegade's power rings, and the yellow ring (with Sinestro AI) tries to demand an explanation, but Grayven uses his god-powers to silence it. A minute later, he's trying to block Artemis' arrows, but the ring refuses to obey him.
- Losing Your Head: Since the Renegade assimilates Estrogina's head before it can properly die, it will remain as a conscious, obedient, "living" head indefinitely.
- Never Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight: Lampshaded by the Renegade when mocking Astarte (after shooting her down with stealthed drones).Renegade: I am not a warrior. I am not a soldier. I'm not even much of a tactician. But it seems that you're even less of one. You brought snakes to a gunfight.
- Papa Wolf: Kidnapping the Renegade's daughter is Estrogina's second last mistake, with the last one being to engage him in combat afterward. He has Persuader behead her and then assimilates the head before it dies, enslaving her in that form forever.
- Switching P.O.V.: We get to see the viewpoints of Kara (who's being partially controlled/guided by Eradicator programming) and Grayven.
- Talented, but Trained: Both Diana and Astarte are naturally talented; they're both demigoddesses, and Astarte actually has longer experience, besides being the daughter of Ares, god of war. But Astarte is accustomed to being far stronger than everyone around her, while Diana is used to both training and seriously fighting against people as strong as her, which gives her the edge.
- There Can Be Only One: The Renegade would be happy to co-exist and even cooperate, but Grayven 16 cannot tolerate "the pretender", intending to kill him and destroy or absorb all he has built.
