Dragonball M, Chapter 2: Lighthouse! Across the Shores of Shattered Time!

[Tami]

Asha'rah tapped her chin in thought.

"Are we able to take the Colossus? Its resilience and firepower would be useful to our future endeavors."

"The Colossus? It was ripped in half during the battle. It would take forever to get it airworthy again, even of we wanted to." Meagan spoke as she took her seat inside the spaceship.

[Tami]

Seeing Dash and Meagan say their goodbyes reminded Zaofan to do the same for the rainbow warrior.

"Hey Dash. That's twice now we've fought side by side. And let me just say, it was an honor. Again!"

Seeing Zaofan, Dash ran up to him and gave him an emotional hug, "Honor my pale backside." Letting go, "It's a thrill just seeing you again. I wish I could go with you," her eyes became misty as she wiped them with the back of her hand, "Just save Earth but please don't go an' get yourself killed doing it, okay?"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Jinzi boards and gets to the pilots seat, Jack sitting in the co-pilot seat oddly enough. He quirks and eyebrow but just nods to the cigarette smoking man and starts powering the ship up. Over the comms he radios out.

“Hop on board everyone. Adam, you ready?”

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Nevanlinna sensed a certain sort of... suppressed eagerness in Ishtar's words. She couldn't blame the Oni--it was not everyday one met someone with their own personal realm. That the language of Vaikuntha's name had a passing similarity to Ishtar's own language, if not in how it sounds, then at least in its apparent ancient nature was interesting. Most interesting, indeed.

Nevanlinna was glad, oddly, to hear that Ishtar's night had gone well. The Threshling princess herself, as one would expect, didn't particularly know her way around a kitchen, though she at least knew some field... food preparation. To call it cooking would be an insult to the many fine cooks on her world, and the... occasional passable cook off, such as Zaofan. And she, of course, had no lover to share her night with. Not that it particularly mattered, since she had little interest in carnal matters.

Still, she had noticed a certain... weight upon the Oni. Not a physical one, but more of a metaphorical sort. Something had been troubling her, and while it likely still did, last night seemed to relieve a bit of that worry. "Very good. I am glad to hear it. Your... lover, as you no doubt heard, has offered to let me join you two in your training. Perhaps we might make use of Vaikuntha to expedite our progress? It is isolated, and the restorative effect will make it safer, allowing us to push ourselves harder. And while I would prefer for the realm to remain undamaged, I know for a fact that it will restore itself, if given time to do so."

In essence, Nevanlinna was proposing to turn Vaikuntha, temporarily, into a gravity chamber that healed its occupants. Or a portion of it, anyway. If she could learn Ishtar's gravity spell herself--or at least create her own variant--it would prove to be a potent and convenient method of training for her in the future.

Ishtar nodded slowly.

"I did. Unsurprisingly really." And it really was. If there was one thing Sarada was consistent in besides finding joy- and a loss of mental faculties- in the presence of large breasts, it was in finding partners to fight with. Though in this Ishtar was slowly growing fond of it herself; so the offer to transition this hidden realm into a makeshift gravity chamber was a good one.

"I will at least offer you the same cautionary statement I offered Sarada, before I accept. I do not know its upper limits." The golden-eyed Oni offered with a surety. "I know well how powerful it might be, but until it is tested in a quantifiable manner there is no real way of knowing for sure." That said however, that Vaikuntha could heal an individual simply by them being within its confines at leas offered a measure of safety not offered elsewhere.

"In any case, I accept such an offer, if for no other reason than the betterment of myself."

That it would be beneficial for all parties involved, and informative besides, was simply the icing on the cake.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, though--" Totoma paused for a moment, thinking. Jagam, halfbreed or not, was a Saiyan, so... "--we might be able to take advantage of that old innate desire for a fun fight, perhaps. Say to him... give us a day and we'll match or even surpass you! He might 'humour' us, thinking we're just boasting... and then we take the chance to train in that Room of Spirit and Time on the lookout. Assuming he hasn't destroyed the lookout entirely, anyway."

That was actually similar to what she had in mind. Her plan, though, hinged on him having not arrived yet so she'd have a safe day to train in the Room of Time and Spirits. The only thing, though, was whether a year would be enough. In a little over six months, she went from 50 to 16,000. Based on that, she'd reckon that an additional year would boost her to maybe close to 100K. That was high-balling it, she was sure, but it was in that general area.

"Not a bad idea," she responded. "And it might work. He's been killing weak Saiyans for years. The chance to fight two Saiyans on his level will likely be too much for him to pass up." She hoped, anyway. If not, they were going to need the others to play distraction until she and Totoma finished their year. Since they weren't Saiyans, he could possibly go easy on them.

Again, she hoped.

Then, there was the assumption that all of this was even possible. The Lookout very well may have been destroyed if Eva was already dead. That would be the worst case scenario, by far, for more than the immediate reason that they'd be unable to train for Jagam.

"Damn it. I wish I knew the mechanics of my friend's Ki nullifying technique so I could copy it." All in due time, she supposed.

Ishtar remained silent, even as she boarded- and sat- besides Sarada and listened to the back and forth between Totoma and her Love, in regards to Jagam and the threat he posed.

At the least, this all was simply more evidence than the future they had seen- in which Ishtar and Sarada had died in combat against Jagam later on than now- was perhaps merely only a possible future .. and given the conversation that had taken place with her sister; it at least hinted that this future the Oni was inclined to believe it. Though it did not speak to good odds, running up against Jagam now, and not later. At least in that alternate future, they had managed to bring Jagam down with them. Here however ?

Well ...

There was at least some wiggle room, perhaps. If the Saiyan nature was truly an all-encompassing thing; what was said by the two Saiyan about pride and Jagam's willingness to afford them time to use the Time Chamber was ... something. Perhaps not enough, but at the least something. It was merely a hope however, that such would hold up in the face of this Saiyan Killer. In any case ...

"I believe the course is set now. All that is left for it is to return to Earth and see. At the very least however ... once we get close enough I can attempt to contact Evangeline, and Nunlil telepathically ... if the worst has not yet come to pass, perhaps we can prepare ourselves a bit more." Ishtar offered with a sigh. "In the meantime however, perhaps there is something meaningful we can work toward, so at the least our return trip is not simply waiting and hoping."

Though there was an issue with that.

"Of course this is a rather tight fit."

Jinzi boards and gets to the pilots seat, Jack sitting in the co-pilot seat oddly enough. He quirks and eyebrow but just nods to the cigarette smoking man and starts powering the ship up. Over the comms he radios out.

“Hop on board everyone. Adam, you ready?”

Already seated and in discussions with Sarada, Totoma, and Nevanlinna, the Oni begins bouncing Ereshkigal on her leg gently before saying. "I believe we are good to go, Mr. Pantaloon."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Sarada strapped in and prepared for takeoff. In doing so, she gave the planet Chroma one final glance. Yesterday, they fought to liberate Meagan's home from a race of mercenaries that had held it in their grasp for over a decade. For much of her life, the young Chromakai had been fighting for that moment, and yesterday, she finally reached it.

Sarada was glad for her. Freedom was a most cherished gift, one easily taken for granted.

They fought to safe Chroma, and in a few days, they'd likely be fighting to save Earth and possibly Eva if it wasn't too late. There were so many unknowns with the situation on Earth. That was the frustrating thing about seers and soothsayers; they only gave vague portents of future events. No specific details, only blurry edges of times to come.

What a bother.

The only good that came from this was that they knew something was about to happen . They didn't know what, by who, why, where exactly, or when. All the important questions were left unanswered.

Jagam being involved was just an assumption on her and Totoma's part.

"Damn it."

"I believe the course is set now. All that is left for it is to return to Earth and see. At the very least however ... once we get close enough I can attempt to contact Evangeline, and Nunlil telepathically ... if the worst has not yet come to pass, perhaps we can prepare ourselves a bit more." Ishtar offered with a sigh. "In the meantime however, perhaps there is something meaningful we can work toward, so at the least our return trip is not simply waiting and hoping."

Though there was an issue with that.

"Of course this is a rather tight fit."

She could have made a lewd joke about that.

She didn't.

Instead, she simply asked, "What do you have in mind?"

[Cyke]

Seeing Zaofan, Dash ran up to him and gave him an emotional hug, "Honor my pale backside." Letting go, "It's a thrill just seeing you again. I wish I could go with you," her eyes became misty as she wiped them with the back of her hand, "Just save Earth but please don't go an' get yourself killed doing it, okay?"

Zaofan playfully raised his hands in defensiveness. "From one person risking their life to another for a just and noble cause, I'll remember that. Now you rebuild but you're still concerned. But you know, I think I understand now, with your tough exterior and all."

Just then, harkening back to the kitchen, Zaofan cleared his throat, then quickly snaps his arms stretched out.



"Ok, ok, I see what's happening here
You've just attained freedom, and it's strange
You don't even know how you feel
It's adorable!

Well, it's nice to see that fighters never change
Open your eyes, let's begin
Yes, it's really me, it's Zaofan: breathe it in!
I know it's a lot: the cape, the cod!
And Asha'rah here's a demi-god!

What can we say except you're welcome
For the pies, the buns, the fries
Hey, it's okay, it's okay
You're welcome
I'm just an ordinary kind of guy!

Hey!
Who had the wisdom to teach you to fly
When you were hovering yay high
These guys! [points to Chromakai elders];
When the grunts got bold
Jack nailed them from down below;
You're lookin' at Shiro;
Oh, Ishtar pinned the boss alone
You're welcome!
To beat him down and turn him to crumbs
Also we have Midori
You're welcome!
We'll help you win with help from Jinzi

So what can we say except you're welcome
The Chromakai's path to victory
There's no need to pray, it's okay
You're welcome!
Ha, it's our shared responsibility
You're welcome!
You're welcome!

Held joined the thick of it;
And Chuan, and Slak can go on and on;
Totoma will fight with every terrible Nagadarr
In space, in ships, on the ground, oh;
That was Sarada blasting around;
Meagan Te'al
She buried their guts;
Charco unleashed, oh boy he's gone nuts;
There's Etrina
Also Och-a-zu-ke;
Don't mess with Neva when she's on the break-away

And the people here that are your kin [points to Pewter, Blush, and Cyanna]
Are the reasons for the victories we win
Look where you've been
We make everything happen
Look at that Officer P-Sta just tippity-tappin' [which he very well could be doing]

Well, Erosa here will say you're welcome
For the wonderful world you'll grow
Hey, it's okay, it's okay
You're welcome!

Well, come to think of it, we gotta go
Adam is done, he'll say you're welcome
'Cause we're gonna need that ship
we're sailing away, away
You're welcome!

'Cause we need to get on with this trip
You're welcome!
You're welcome!

And thank you!"

Out of breath, and cautiously looking around because he's not quite sure what's gotten over him, Zaofan clears his throat again. He hugs Dash and follows the others to the transport.

"Keep in touch!"

[Tami]

As Zaofan ran to the ship to get on before it took off, Cyanna leaned in close to Dash and smiled, "I can see why you like him so much. You really should tell him."

Dash continued to look at the ship, "Wouldn't 've mattered much anyway. It would'a been a losing fight for me and he deserves the best he can get."

Staring at her, "What do you mean? You're better than the best. Any guy would be crazy not to realize that, Dash."

Laughing, "Cya, you know you're fulla it, but thanks." Dash then smiled, "After the ship leaves, do you wanna go'an do some training?"

Cyanna nods, "Sure, but after breakfast, I'm starving."

[KingofPie]

P-Sta boarded the ship along with the others, this time opting not to try and pilot but instead file a case report for the mission on Chroma on his datapad. Despite the destruction and dismemberment displayed, a planet had been liners Ted from slavery and tyranny. The higher-ups couldn't be mad about how this one turned out. As the Galactic officer filed his report he kept an ear open to see where their next destination would be. Maybe they could drop him off at the nearest GP outpost before they head back home.

Sarada stepped aboard the GP ship silently. There was much running through her mind at the moment, and much of it wasn't good. Other than the diagram she found, she was no closer to finding out what the amulet was about in any regard than she was a few days ago. That name, Nergal, wouldn't stop bothering her. The Earth was in trouble again, and evidently, Eva was either going to die very soon or was already dead.

Sarada sighed and found a place to sit.

Then, as always, there was Jagam and his dark, looming shadow. Totoma mentioned that Eresh's first portent could possibly be about him. While that would have crossed off two of her problems at once, there was always the possibility that he was a Super Saiyan. Frankly, no one in this group or anyone they had come across could stand up to a Super Saiyan. Even if the facts of the kind of power that golden aura put out was mostly based on legnds and rumor, if there even a modicum of truth to it, then they stood no chance.

It was inperative they kill him before he went gold.

"If Jagam is on Earth, we need to hit him as hard as we can right away. If he can turn into a Super Saiyan, we're dead."

"So, wait..." P-Sta held a hand up. "There's another Saiyan on Earth? And he's a threat?! And what the heck's a Super Saiyan?!?!" He asked each question with increasing perplexity.

[Tami]

P-Sta boarded the ship along with the others, this time opting not to try and pilot but instead file a case report for the mission on Chroma on his datapad. Despite the destruction and dismemberment displayed, a planet had been liners Ted from slavery and tyranny. The higher-ups couldn't be mad about how this one turned out. As the Galactic officer filed his report he kept an ear open to see where their next destination would be. Maybe they could drop him off at the nearest GP outpost before they head back home.



"So, wait..." P-Sta held a hand up. "There's another Saiyan on Earth? And he's a threat?! And what the heck's a Super Saiyan?!?!" He asked each question with increasing perplexity.

Meagan raised her eyebrow in surprise that a GP Officer wouldn't know what a Super Saiyan was, but she kept silent. To be honest, she is still wondering why this particular GP Officer came with them, instead of going with Miras and the other GP on Chroma. Shrugging her shoulders, she leaned back in her seat and decided that it wasn't worth thinking about.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

P-Sta boarded the ship along with the others, this time opting not to try and pilot but instead file a case report for the mission on Chroma on his datapad. Despite the destruction and dismemberment displayed, a planet had been liners Ted from slavery and tyranny. The higher-ups couldn't be mad about how this one turned out. As the Galactic officer filed his report he kept an ear open to see where their next destination would be. Maybe they could drop him off at the nearest GP outpost before they head back home.



"So, wait..." P-Sta held a hand up. "There's another Saiyan on Earth? And he's a threat?! And what the heck's a Super Saiyan?!?!" He asked each question with increasing perplexity.

"His name is Jagam," Sarada answered P-Sta. "He's a half breed Saiyan that's killed over 50 Saiyans over the past decade or so. Including his mother," she jabbed a thumb at Totoma. "A Super Saiyan is the name for an immense power-up Saiyans can trigger when they're strong enough. They have gold hair, greenish-blue eyes, increased muscle mass aggression, and a gold aura. The biggest thing is how drastically their power increases, by fifty. So, I now have a power level of 16000. If I were to transform into a Super Saiyan right now, I'd be at 800K. I posit that Jagam is around 50K to 60K, meaning he would have at 2.5 million to 3 million."

[KingofPie]

"His name is Jagam," Sarada answered P-Sta. "He's a half breed Saiyan that's killed over 50 Saiyans over the past decade or so. Including his mother," she jabbed a thumb at Totoma. "A Super Saiyan is the name for an immense power-up Saiyans can trigger when they're strong enough. They have gold hair, greenish-blue eyes, increased muscle mass aggression, and a gold aura. The biggest thing is how drastically their power increases, by fifty. So, I now have a power level of 16000. If I were to transform into a Super Saiyan right now, I'd be at 800K. I posit that Jagam is around 50K to 60K, meaning he would have at 2.5 million to 3 million."

"..." P-Sta recorded something in his datapad. "And this Jagam...is supposedly on Earth? ...How do you propose he is to be stopped if he is indeed that powerful?" He asked, calmly.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

She could have made a lewd joke about that.

She didn't.

Instead, she simply asked, "What do you have in mind?"

Ishtar offered Sarada a smile, before explaining.

"My gravity spell might prove ... catastrophic in the confines of this craft. Though there is something far more localized I can do." Reaching over and placing a hand on Sarada's shoulder, the Oni then flashed a smile and offered a whispering, "Dar-Tanu".

Struggle as Sarada might, then, she would find herself bound and unable to move. "I have little doubt it will hold you for long," Ishtar said then, "yet attempting to out-muscle my binding spell, while I attempt to keep you bound ... should offer some measure of training; until such a time as Nevanlinna decides to allow us entry into Vaikuntha."

In essence, it was little more than a tug of war. Though inatsad of rope, it was a spell that had been used to bind Evangeline some months ago, made stronger by Ishtar.

The golden-eyed Oni's eyes twinkled briefly as she smiled at Sarada, then.

"So what do you say ?"

[Cyke]

"His name is Jagam," Sarada answered P-Sta. "He's a half breed Saiyan that's killed over 50 Saiyans over the past decade or so. Including his mother," she jabbed a thumb at Totoma. "A Super Saiyan is the name for an immense power-up Saiyans can trigger when they're strong enough. They have gold hair, greenish-blue eyes, increased muscle mass aggression, and a gold aura. The biggest thing is how drastically their power increases, by fifty. So, I now have a power level of 16000. If I were to transform into a Super Saiyan right now, I'd be at 800K. I posit that Jagam is around 50K to 60K, meaning he would have at 2.5 million to 3 million."

In the background towards the aft of the ship, Zaofan could be seen spitting out his tea in sheer disbelief.

"..." P-Sta recorded something in his datapad. "And this Jagam...is supposedly on Earth? ...How do you propose he is to be stopped if he is indeed that powerful?" He asked, calmly.

Quickly walking up to the conversation, Zaofan interjected. "I second that question! I know I've pledged my assistance to everyone here, but there's assistance, and then there's suicide missions."

[Tami]

In the background towards the aft of the ship, Zaofan could be seen spitting out his tea in sheer disbelief.



Quickly walking up to the conversation, Zaofan interjected. "I second that question! I know I've pledged my assistance to everyone here, but there's assistance, and then there's suicide missions."

"One Jagam versus all of us combined, I'd say the odds are pretty even." Meagan spoke up from her seat, not sounding all that concerned.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"..." P-Sta recorded something in his datapad. "And this Jagam...is supposedly on Earth? ...How do you propose he is to be stopped if he is indeed that powerful?" He asked, calmly.

"That's what I hope. I want him to come to Earth, or somewhere else. As long as he's away from Vocado and the colonies."

Sarada sighed heavily.

"As for beating him, we get stronger and figure out how to nullify ki. It's the only way."

In the background towards the aft of the ship, Zaofan could be seen spitting out his tea in sheer disbelief.

Quickly walking up to the conversation, Zaofan interjected. "I second that question! I know I've pledged my assistance to everyone here, but there's assistance, and then there's suicide missions."

"Suicide or not, we don't have a choice. If we don't find some way to kill Jagam, he's going to kill my entire race!" After her outburst, she grew quiet. She frowned sadly. "We've done a lot of terrible things over the last half millennium, but we deserve a chance to make up for it. My little brother and cousin deserve a chance to grow up and change the universe's perception of Saiyans. If giving them that chance means dying, then so be it!"