Hey all, thanks for the suggestions. This ended up being a bit of a ridiculous solution, but one that I'm glad for in the end. I still can't believe this really, but I had FOUR bad sets of batteries. 3 rechargeable NiMH sets (Duracell AND Energizer), and one BRAND NEW pack of Duracell alkaline batts (one of which was bad, which was enough). All my rechargeable batts had worked fine in my previous flashes, so I couldn't understand it. The new pack of Duracell alkalines was what worked in the first Sigma flash for about 20 seconds, but then stopped working. Of course I had made sure my batts were charged, etc.
But when the guy at the shop took the alkalines out of the Metz, he went to test them and I said, "Those are brand new." Thank god his response was: "You never know." And sure enough, one of the 4 was bad, which allowed the flash to turn on and change settings, but not to fire, which was why it was so confusing. Same behavior with the rechargeables. Flash would turn on, you could change settings, buttons lit up, etc, but would not fire.
So, lesson learned. I definitely felt a little stupid, but I've also never had such a perfect storm of battery issues. Anyway, I'm glad for it, as the flash works great now.
Sorry for wasting everyone's time, and thank you for all the responses!
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