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

[Cyke]

Ochazuke exchanged glances with her and, despite the apparent clarity of her visage and words, he had found her answer wanting.

"You said it yourself, you intend to seek out an enemy of rumours. One you cannot perceive and know little about, on your own, despite all of us willing to fight beside you," he replied.

Meagan's commitment to her cause was beyond dispute; The fervour within seemed to rise and fog out all else between herself and her revenge.

"I put little stake in destiny, myself, but if you are willing to fight only by yourself, then you will die by yourself, and all of that will have been for nothing," he continued. "If you would have your fight become ours as well, then see it done. I would prefer to know I am not party to the whim of an impulsive fool chasing glory under the guise of selflessness."



Zaofan's statement took the room and he spoke, broadly, for them all. There was a depth and charge to the warm words borne in confidence, and it was his subtle gift that made his presence invaluable among them.

"Charge ahead recklessly and you only leave your support behind," he followed, "In light of how far we've come, I would see that you don't forget that."

"If, as you seem to imply, I had intentions of fighting them alone, we would not be here right now discussing strategy. More then likely you would be here discussing my funeral while my people continued to suffer. You mean well, perhaps, Ochazuke. But I would give advice to you, advice that you spend more time listening to others and understanding them before rushing to judgement and making assumptions. It seems that your pride has distorted your hearing, though I do not question your judgement." Meagan's' words were both calm and harden with determination.

Something had to be done, but choosing sides or reprimanding them could simply exacerbate tensions; the two were more than a match for several of the others. Indeed, Zaofan is rather fond of both of them.

Rather, prioritization would be required.

"MIRAS! When do we disembark? It seems some of us could direct this... passion... towards punching some bad guys. I know I could use the workout."

[Tami]

Something had to be done, but choosing sides or reprimanding them could simply exacerbate tensions; the two were more than a match for several of the others. Indeed, Zaofan is rather fond of both of them.

Rather, prioritization would be required.

"MIRAS! When do we disembark? It seems some of us could direct this... passion... towards punching some bad guys. I know I could use the workout."

"Yes, lets us get on with this battle and stop wasting time." As she spoke, she gave Ochazuke one last hard look, then turned her attention to Mirias.

[rhyvurg]

"Would you need to be in one spot to do all this? Would you need protection and support while you work?"

"Widespread destruction would be ideal, people who can force the enemy to divide their attention. Subtlety would be a detriment is anything, once we are discovered, which we must assume we will be."

"I'll go!" Erosa suddenly raised her hand. "Its gotta be someone stealthy right? Otherwise it would just slow him down.....and I do like blowing stuff up. I'd be perfect!"

The sudden enthusiasm was a bit off putting, and perhaps not without ulterior motive, but she seemed earnest with the suggestion.

"I believe your other talents would be of more use, poised to wreak havoc the enemy cannot ignore."

“They’ll be on you too quick if you start to drain their shields.”

Miras taps her chin.

“However, once inside could you drain their reactor if you had someone watching your back?”

"I can leap through time, I define what's 'too quick.' If I can get inside their ship I have won, their systems are mine, their weapons and engines are mine to control. If I must I will set it on a course into this system's star and reduce the guidance controls to slag. If that becomes necessary anyone who accompanies me must be able to survive in space should it be required."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Miras raises a hand, silencing everyone.

She nods in approval to Adam.

“Impressive. Than once I break the shield you and I will take care of getting the ship done with, as I can survive in space if needs be. Everyone else can worry about taking care of the children and beating back the soldiers.”

She looks around.

“So once I breach the shields and hull, Adam and I shall take control of the ship, or attempt to, and you all will save the children. If it come to it, as backup, I can slag the thing from orbit or.......”

She looks at the other Chromaki.

“Or there is a biological agent we can release, but that’s a last resort only.”

“Any questions? If not, we leave in just a minute.”

[Tami]

Miras raises a hand, silencing everyone.

She nods in approval to Adam.

“Impressive. Than once I break the shield you and I will take care of getting the ship done with, as I can survive in space if needs be. Everyone else can worry about taking care of the children and beating back the soldiers.”

She looks around.

“So once I breach the shields and hull, Adam and I shall take control of the ship, or attempt to, and you all will save the children. If it come to it, as backup, I can slag the thing from orbit or.......”

She looks at the other Chromaki.

“Or there is a biological agent we can release, but that’s a last resort only.”

“Any questions? If not, we leave in just a minute.”

"Two groups, Those who will be attacking the ship and the Nagadarr, and those who will go with me to sneak inside and rescue the children. Adam, with Erosa as backup, will take control of the ships systems." Meagan looks around, "I would ask the attackers to try and draw out as many Nagadarr as possible, the fewer inside the ship, the easier and safer it will be to rescue the children. For those coming with me, we need to move fast as soon as an opening is made. We need to reach the children before the Demons try to stop us."

With that, she looked at Miras, "Lets' do this, and may the Goddess bless us with her light and help us look after the children as we engage in combat."

The gathered Chromakai, resistance fighters and military, hearing Meagan's prayer, bowed their heads for a moment in prayer as well.

[MrSandman]

"Two groups, Those who will be attacking the ship and the Nagadarr, and those who will go with me to sneak inside and rescue the children. Adam, with Erosa as backup, will take control of the ships systems." Meagan looks around, "I would ask the attackers to try and draw out as many Nagadarr as possible, the fewer inside the ship, the easier and safer it will be to rescue the children. For those coming with me, we need to move fast as soon as an opening is made. We need to reach the children before the Demons try to stop us."

With that, she looked at Miras, "Lets' do this, and may the Goddess bless us with her light and help us look after the children as we engage in combat."

The gathered Chromakai, resistance fighters and military, hearing Meagan's prayer, bowed their heads for a moment in prayer as well.

"Ok! I'll make sure Adam and Miras get to the ships heart and then draw the Naggiez away so they can work." Erosa nodded. ".....in the worse case, I won't die even if I'm killed. If you gotta blow up the ship don't worry about me."

"I guess that leaves me as an outside distraction." Etrina nodded as well. "Or I could help with the children if you wish Meagan."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Miras nods.

“That works then.”

[Tami]

"Ok! I'll make sure Adam and Miras get to the ships heart and then draw the Naggiez away so they can work." Erosa nodded. ".....in the worse case, I won't die even if I'm killed. If you gotta blow up the ship don't worry about me."

"I guess that leaves me as an outside distraction." Etrina nodded as well. "Or I could help with the children if you wish Meagan."

"We need illusions and confusions, inside distractions as well as stealth. Whatever it takes to get us inside the ship, locate the children and safely get them outside without getting into a fight with the Nagadarr. I'm certain that your skills can be useful in that way, so I would welcome your help in the rescue."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Sarada cracked her knuckles and neck. "Alright. There are prisoners to save and asses to kick, so let's get it started."

[Tami]

Sarada cracked her knuckles and neck. "Alright. There are prisoners to save and asses to kick, so let's get it started."

"Good fortune, Sarada. Just watch out for their weapons and their armor. Get past that and you should do fine."

[rhyvurg]

Miras raises a hand, silencing everyone.

She nods in approval to Adam.

“Impressive. Than once I break the shield you and I will take care of getting the ship done with, as I can survive in space if needs be. Everyone else can worry about taking care of the children and beating back the soldiers.”

She looks around.

“So once I breach the shields and hull, Adam and I shall take control of the ship, or attempt to, and you all will save the children. If it come to it, as backup, I can slag the thing from orbit or.......”

She looks at the other Chromaki.

“Or there is a biological agent we can release, but that’s a last resort only.”

“Any questions? If not, we leave in just a minute.”

"Any information on past attempts to destroy or board the ship would be useful. Even if a perceived weakness has been compensated for, their responses to threats can provide insight as to how they might react to this latest attack. Particularly, any gaps or weaknesses in their detection methods, the longer I can drain their shields without their knowledge the better."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

As the others made their plans, and discussed where best to send everyone, Ishtar turned her attention towards the one she had found herself recently bound to.

"Eresh," the Oni said softly, before turning toward the young Oni.

"I cannot well leave you behind, so tell me little one, where is it you would wish to go ?"

OT: I assume she's still following Ishtar around, right?

In case it was missed, Cleric.

[Lord Falcon]

Well, hearing that was a surprise. She hadn't thought about how old her race was very much, but it was surprising to hear that Saiyans existed eons ago. It was one of those subjects that was filled to the brim with pointless, aimless speculation, often circumstantial evidence produced to give credence to potentially biased hypotheses, and back and forth debates between the scientifically minded and the 'non-intellectuals'. Sarada simply rolled her eyes and tuned out any and every conversation.

Hearing definitive proof that her race was older than most was... intriguing. Of course, the 'intellectuals' wouldn't believe the words of a so-called goddess, but hearing that one supported their claims wouldn't stop them from holding it over the heads of the uninitiated.

Feh. Fucking assholes.

She was, of course, referring to the Saiyans on Turrip. Those smarty-pants thought they were better than all the other Saiyans just because they knew how to work the Tuffles' technology, and made improvements to much of it.

"Really? I wasn't aware my race was that old. What was this Saiyan like?"

Asha'rah slowly blinked, a smile travelling to her eyes even as old ache rose to the fore. How to talk about her oldest friend? To have watched him as a youth hunt down pirates and spare his mother's killer? To uplift him to Kami, debate philosophy with him over tea, and help him come into his own?

"I spent many fulfilling years with him. He was strong, fierce and a stoic contemplator. He would always offer his enemies a chance for mercy, and never flinched from destroying them if that chance was spurned. Worlds trembled at his approach, yet he was a champion of order and justice. I had hoped more of the latter, in the time leading up to my rebellion. But I knew he favored the former when pressed to choose, an impression his actions confirmed when I informed him of my plans. His name was Indar'en. He was the first God of Destruction, and the first deity to fall by my hand."

She wished there had been another way. But they each had their paths to follow, their choices to make. Asha'rah had simply been ready when Indar'en made his.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Asha'rah slowly blinked, a smile travelling to her eyes even as old ache rose to the fore. How to talk about her oldest friend? To have watched him as a youth hunt down pirates and spare his mother's killer? To uplift him to Kami, debate philosophy with him over tea, and help him come into his own?

"I spent many fulfilling years with him. He was strong, fierce and a stoic contemplator. He would always offer his enemies a chance for mercy, and never flinched from destroying them if that chance was spurned. Worlds trembled at his approach, yet he was a champion of order and justice. I had hoped more of the latter, in the time leading up to my rebellion. But I knew he favored the former when pressed to choose, an impression his actions confirmed when I informed him of my plans. His name was Indar'en. He was the first God of Destruction, and the first deity to fall by my hand."

She wished there had been another way. But they each had their paths to follow, their choices to make. Asha'rah had simply been ready when Indar'en made his.

The words Asha'rah used to describe her friend, Indar'en, and his manner of living made it seem as if she was talking about another race. Mercy, order, justice; these words, for so many centuries, held no value to a Saiyan. It sounded so foreign, but at the same time, so familiar. Based on her readings, the same words could be used to describe Vocado, the liberator of the Saiyan race from Arcosian bondange 2,000 years ago. There was little doubt that the two men never met, there being literal millennia between their lifespans, but similarities and parallels were there to be examined and documented, she was certain.

He was a God of Destruction -- a name that rang familiar in regards Isthar's fate -- the first of however many there had been in the following eons. Sarada could only imagine what responsibilities a title of that magnitude carried with it; but, if Asha'rah spoke of this Saiyan with nothing but fondness and respect, then he carried out his duties admirably.

However, she also spoke about a rebellion -- the first time Sarada had ever heard of anything of the sort. She also mentioned how Indar'en, her closest friend, was the very first god she murdered, presumably during this rebellion.

Sarada felt herself frown. "What?" Too much time had passed to feel anything other than confusion. This man was her closest friend, yet he was the first to fall by her hand during her rebellion. Why? What reason would she have to rebel? Why would close friends stand on opposite sides of a conflict? She wasn't one to propose talking things out over fighting, but to take their battle to that extent, when they were friends...

It left her with a bad taste in her mouth and confusion on her mind.

"Why would you kill your friend? What was this rebellion about?"

She didn't sound angry, but rather curious. There was little doubt that the goddess before her felt nothing but pain at drudging up the old memory. Sarada could only imagine how she would feel if she had to kill Avoca, her own best friend.

No. That wasn't something could ever bring herself to do, even if she felt she had the right of way. The ways of these so-called 'gods' must have been higher than those of mortals for them to push themselves to such lengths.

[Lord Falcon]

The words Asha'rah used to describe her friend, Indar'en, and his manner of living made it seem as if she was talking about another race. Mercy, order, justice; these words, for so many centuries, held no value to a Saiyan. It sounded so foreign, but at the same time, so familiar. Based on her readings, the same words could be used to describe Vocado, the liberator of the Saiyan race from Arcosian bondange 2,000 years ago. There was little doubt that the two men never met, there being literal millennia between their lifespans, but similarities and parallels were there to be examined and documented, she was certain.

He was a God of Destruction -- a name that rang familiar in regards Isthar's fate -- the first of however many there had been in the following eons. Sarada could only imagine what responsibilities a title of that magnitude carried with it; but, if Asha'rah spoke of this Saiyan with nothing but fondness and respect, then he carried out his duties admirably.

However, she also spoke about a rebellion -- the first time Sarada had ever heard of anything of the sort. She also mentioned how Indar'en, her closest friend, was the very first god she murdered, presumably during this rebellion.

Sarada felt herself frown. "What?" Too much time had passed to feel anything other than confusion. This man was her closest friend, yet he was the first to fall by her hand during her rebellion. Why? What reason would she have to rebel? Why would close friends stand on opposite sides of a conflict? She wasn't one to propose talking things out over fighting, but to take their battle to that extent, when they were friends...

It left her with a bad taste in her mouth and confusion on her mind.

"Why would you kill your friend? What was this rebellion about?"

She didn't sound angry, but rather curious. There was little doubt that the goddess before her felt nothing but pain at drudging up the old memory. Sarada could only imagine how she would feel if she had to kill Avoca, her own best friend.

No. That wasn't something could ever bring herself to do, even if she felt she had the right of way. The ways of these so-called 'gods' must have been higher than those of mortals for them to push themselves to such lengths.

Why would you kill your friend? Asha'rah winced as, with one innocent sentence, Sarada cut deep into the fallen god's heart. But Asha'rah would not have it any other way. Killing a friend should bring agony. Indar'en had been dear to her, and their battle had done nothing to change that. To do any less than face the agony of ending his life with her own hands would be a disservice to his memory and herself.

She looked around, but off to the distance, as if surveying more than just the battlefield around them.

"The universe is not entirely as I would have made it. There are differences of opinion in any collaborative work, of course, and for the most part we were able to work out our differences. But there lies a fundamental imbalance in the bedrock of reality, an imbalance that I acceded to under protest. As my objections continued to be ignored over the eons, concern turned to fear, and resentment turned to wrath."

Asha'rah sighed, her voice like wind on autumn leaves.

"The mechanics of the universe inherently the strong in martial might. Not at first, but as you climb further - exponentially. The finest cooks, the greatest artists, the smartest scientists...it all starts to give way to the individual fighter. Singular forces walking amidst creation like gods, with nothing to stop them but an even greater force. Tyrants will rule, progress of a million generations wiped out on the whim of someone who has never refined anything but their fist. The universes were...are...doomed to this fate if nothing changes. So I rebelled, in the hope that I might finally shake the Heavens out of their complacency. I never had hope of actually winning outright. The universes are ruled by a being who is as supreme as he is childish. He would have to but snap his fingers to annihilate all of Creation. But I had hoped to create enough of a ruckus to draw the attention of the Heavens to this issue. A great many rose to my side. Indar'en was not one of them. Whatever other tenets he held dear, he respected the order power provided above all else, and I was rebelling against the most powerful beings in existence. We fought, and I won."

She turned her attention back squarely on Sarada, old emotional wounds and enduring resolve balanced upon her features.

"I tell you this because I confess a bias. I came to view the Saiyan species as the most likely to exploit this imbalance. Saiyans' immense drive to fight and their collective 'might makes right' mentality cannot not help but pull them upon the issue I have staked my life on reforming. Many a time have I envisioned the Saiyan race having enslaved entire galaxies, ruled by a royal family who wipe out entire star systems on a whim. There, no culture unrelated to combat can flourish. No science unrelated to combat may advance. I do not wish to see such a future come to pass, and it engendered in me an implicit bias against your species. When I first met you, I saw the arrogant, utterly combative face of everything I was working against. I did not hold it against you. It was the fault of the gods. But I prejudged you. And for that I am sorry."