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

[Ptrvc]

"...You're haunted?" Held asked, his attention perking up a bit more than usual, "I don't really remember Ishtar saying that's what happened when you die, but...Huh. Weird."

So, Spirits can interact with this world, huh? I had considered a few ideas as to how Crazy Horn keeps managing to be manifested, but I didn't entirely consider the idea he could maybe be an actual spirit....

"Why can't I see him?" Held asked, clearly willing to take Jack at his word, or at least entertain the notion, "Or is it like...An audio thing, or something?"

Still, I heard nothing, and you'd think I'd pick up some sort of energy....Then again, this isn't something I've looked into much...Hmm. Not a bad idea, Jack.

"I've never shied away from the cost of keeping the Galaxy safe." Held said simply, winking to his comrade, "It would be foolish not to help out, if anything...."

"Something between haunted, and parole officer...It's complicated."

Jack shrugged, "I made a deal with my old mentor, back when I was dead. I was trying to help Eva with stuff on the other side, but my Ki wasn't working right," Jack mimed smoking a cigarette, "Couldn't get a hit of nicotine, couldn't concentrate. Had to brute force smash my way through everything, and that wasn't really working."

"I ran back into his spectre and freed him. He didn't get a body but he still had innate power, and I could use that. So we made a deal. He works as the battery for the magic stuff, and he get's to stay off the trees of bones and out of the pools of blood and so on."

Jack waited for a few moments, "He...wasn't exactly a good guy in life."

Manco's unseen spectre shrugged.

……

"Well, it's something to do," Jack said with a nod, "Still we better hurry, wouldn't want to miss your first uh...donation."

Jack scratched his chin, "Where are we gonna find that kind of cash? I don't even have a reference point for space money."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

first appearance of Captain Stratovarius and his Ship the Black Diamond.




meanwhile some where out in space a impressively large spaceship is cruising through space . on board in the cockpit is a well built alien that seems to resemble a human male from earth with a dark complexion, and curly black hair. his alien is well built standing 6'4" and weigh 260 pounds. he has no visible pulps or irises and his eyes just seem to glow a bright blue.

he is wearing a old worn military clothing complete with jacket and has two dog tags around his neck. the alien is looking at a picture of a Hardware store on alien planet. the picture is of this hardware store's grand opening on that planet. as he looks at the picture he sheds a tear saying in sad tone " these were good people .

" they were my friends and co workers ." " I since that day that happen long ago I have been on a mission." " a mission of vengeance ." " Brick by brick and stone by stone!"

" I will tear down that man's criminal empire down." " I will burn it to the ground!" " I'm not going to let anyone not even the Galaxy police get in the way of my vengeance. " " that man must pay for all the suffering he's cause."


" I must thank that female Toadian Qaztoh for provide upgrades to the Black Diamond and for providing these phasing suits wherever she is right now." " that Bastard thinks he's untouchable in he's comfy tower, but he will fall !" " the members of my crew all victims of this bastard's heinous crimes." " my first mate had his home planet destroy by that bastard."


" every person he knew on his home world is dead." " all because that bastard deiced to blow up my first mates' home planet because it was simply in the way." " the rest of my crew either had their entire families and even the entire homes they grew up in wipe out by that bastard." "for all the suffering he has cause I swear he will reap what you sow!"



The Black Diamond Spaceship

[Cyke]

"Can you even hear yourself anymore? That knife is made of the densest material in the universe. Like your head, apparently."

Four schools? He's a novice if he's trying to get all that done in a night. Steady your hand, Zaofan. He's getting under your skin. Students of Zxu'Ro should be better than that.

Zaofan tries to shrug off his anger. It's been a long time since he's read while angry, after all. He takes a sip of his tea thermos, and enters the library, finally.

Some time after his verbal scuffle with Sasheem, Zaofan is basically isolated in the library. Candle wick running low, his thermos nearly out of tea. In contrast to the candle wick are ever growing stacks of books, scrolls, and maps, none of which offer a clue to the location of Crimson Sapphire Flower. All tips from the cosmic cookbook seem to lead to dead ends or areas for other ingredients instead, ingredients that he's already familiar with. He wracks his brain, wondering if the flower is even in existence anymore.

He wonders aloud who he can ask. "...Chef Brutus? Hm. Kai? The book reminds me a lot of him. Maybe Lady Evangeline knows...?" He tilts his seat back, rubbing his lower lip with this thumb in contemplation. "Crimson... Sapphire... Flower..."

[grampagen]

Despite the shortness of his years Ochazuke's appraisal was apt, and in hearing it Ishtar cracked a small smile.

"In the end it is all he has, this ... artificial validation; and like so many self-proclaimed 'Gods' before in this he is no different." The Oni replied, her mind briefly flitting through old memories of older civilizations. "Though unlike then," she continued, "I am not required to merely witness, and this twisted charade of 'godly love' will not end with the one dominating the weak growing bored; allowing their supplicants to wither and die."

There was an undercurrent of ... anger, as she spoke now; distaste at some aspects of her previous life shining through in this moment of public openness ... and some inkling, at least, that the polite indifference of a year ago had now truly fallen by the wayside.

A subtle shift in her tone hint at a darker, unspoken thing. Folding his arms, he simply nod. There was little more to add, for in that quiet moment of understanding he has known that she also knew.

With her gambit revealed now in full, Ochazuke understood, and much like Sarada -- and perhaps the optimistic Chef, Zaofan -- the warrior wished to hunt Auroc to ground ... and again Ishtar could not help but smile.

This was good.

"Thanks to you as well, and Held, and Zaofan ... as while I positioned myself and made my gambit ... you three proved this God could bleed; and ..."



A voice trickled through the back of the glowing-horned Oni's mind then, of the same cloying quality as Auroc's own but softer still so that only she could hear it. Then with a flickering, the mark at her arm shifted and seemed to grow ever-so-slightly larger. Her smile widened to a fang filled grin.

"... and you proved him a liar in more ways than one."

There was a moment then, when silence reigned, before Ishtar took a single step toward Ochazuke before offering softer than before.

"I must confess that despite my success ... it is a gamble, yet. Despite his words, too, it seems he seeks to force my ... subjugation. A battle I can win, given the means and the time ... though perhaps not the war itself ..." the golden-eyed Oni trailed off then, before glancing over toward the others. "I suspect I will depart with Sarada a short while as well, now that the matter with Jagam is settled. Yet you alone know best of all of them, perhaps, what is coming."

A War with God -- a God -- and perhaps the Threshling themselves.

"Still." The Oni pulled back, if ever so slightly.

"We must move ... slowly. To fight a 'God' even false as Auroc is, in their demense ... is to give them an advantage."

Offering a sigh to the space between them then, the glowing-horn Oni glanced down at the mark upon her arm once more, and with a subtle nod as if to confirm that the game was now, as she had established, returned her attention to Ochazuke.

"So we must use the time before us now, to prepare ... and perhaps teach the others, that martial might is not always enough."

This destructive course had been the common thread that linked all of them together. Perhaps if they all together gripped it and pulled it all at once the history woven by violence would soon unravel.

A fanciful course to arrest such fatal ambitions. Yet nothing would change if they would not fight for it.

"I'll leave the magical matters to you, for sorcery eludes me," he said. He darted his gaze to the brand in Ishtar's arm and the harrowing air as it seemed to shift ever slightly. The signature was all but seared in his memory. "For all this, I'll have to find another way."

As he turned to depart likewise, he returned halfway and tilt his head toward the Priestess once more.

"A lost soul may be bound all the more to the first familiar course, a severed link may be reforged all the stronger," he remarked. "For all the names carved into Jagam's flesh, show her another way."

Time would tell if Anula would yet retread her way to her cloth, to further suffer Auroc to marvel upon his vanity and lay herself before him bound in renewed devotion. It seemed to Ochazuke that much of the craven universe felt there was some quality about the Earth that compelled them, everything from the merest consideration to a warlike bid for dominion. Before they struck next at the hidden hosts sharing in the vision of this god's eye, where his blooded, green gaze fell upon the Earth, they would have to strike his voice dumb and prove they would not yield.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

When the first war vessel entered Turrip's atmosphere, the automated planetary defense systems kicked into gear almost immediately. Anti-air missiles fired their ordnance, blasting ships out of the sky at a good clip. This would have been good, but the Tuffles were prepared. Their ships were merely decoys to distract from the far smaller one-man pods that were being ejected from the hull. The pods benefited from the ships attracted most of the attention and were able to touch down safely.

From there, the Tuffles engaged any Saiyan they found. Blinded by an intense, seething hatred and bolstered by the element of surprise, they didn't differentiate between enemy combatant and innocent civilian. In their minds, no Saiyan could be innocent. Men, and even women and children were gunned down the moment a Tuffle laid eyes on them. Bodies by the dozen laid dead in the street as the invading force moved deeper into the capital city.

“Contact Vocado. We need reinforcements immediately!”

It took several moments for the Turripian Saiyans to get their bearings and their wits about them, but when they did, they launched a counterattack.

“Sir, the Beta Defense Force is prepared to move out!”

“Do it! We don't have any time to waste. People are dying out there! Get the medics on shuttles ASAP!”

“Yes, sir!”

Saiyans equipped with small handheld devices that looked like handguns were rushed onto hover-shuttles and carried from the hospitals to the sites were the fighting was most concentrated. Those devices held a silver saline solution that drove the body's natural healing function into overdrive to encourage faster healing. Thanks to the Turripians own genetic propensity for getting stronger after healing from near fatal injuries, the tide of the battle was soon to turn in their favor.

“Heal the owns about to die first!”

Protected by the Beta Defense Force – a battalion of nearly six hundred Saiyans that were stronger than the average Turripian, but not quite strong enough to make it to the Alpha Force – the medics weaved and ducked their way to their fallen brethren. Each one was jabbed with a needle and injected with the saline solution; in a matter of seconds, their wounds were healed. Each one was jabbed with a fresh needle to avoid infections.

Those that were healed from the most grievous injuries felt their power skyrocket. Soon they were back on their feet and engaging the invaders. Unlike before, the battle was in their favor right from the get-go.

“Keep it up!” one of the Saiyan leaders shouted over the deafening commotion. “Don't give these bastards an inch!”

“Bastards!!” The Tuffles attempted to keep their strategy intact, but the increased power of their enemies had quickly put them at a disadvantage. They were losing ground, and soldiers, and would quickly lose the battle if something didn't happen.

“We don't have a choice. Launch the ultra nuke,” Appel ordered shakily.

“Ma'am, our people are down there!”

“You heard me, Grape. Launch the nuke. I'd rather wipe out everyone then lose this war. We've come too far and lost too much to fail now.”

The man she was speaking with hesitated, but nodded and began the launch sequence for the Ultra Nuke. The bomb was a small black tube with white stripes at the end. The payload was a small, pea-sized sphere of antimatter; more than enough to destroy the entire city, plus several miles more.

As the bombing sequence began, the ship moved to the center of the city, where it would do maximum damage. While Appel hated to have to sacrifice her own people, she knew that for the greater good, it was a sacrifice that needed to be made. Those lost this day would be remembered by Tuffles for years to come.

“Antimatter nuke is ready.”

“Let it drop.”

The bomb bay doors creaked open, and the latches keeping the antimatter bomb in place separated, letting the black bomb fall onto the city below.

“INCOMING!!” came the alert.

It was too late. When the bomb hit the ground, it detonated, unleashing a wave of perfect destruction that obliterated anything and everything in its path. Buildings, people, the ground below and even the air above, everything was annihilated.

When the haze of destruction cleared, there was nothing but a massive hole, dozens of miles across, where the capital city of Turrip used to stand.

Silence reigned after the deadliest weapon in the Tuffle's arsenal did its work.

Appel, leader of the Tuffles, let out a shaky breath and leaned back in her chair. She knew that there would be retaliation, not just from the remainder of Turrip, but from the other five Saiyan worlds. Not to mention, the Saiyan Queen wouldn't let this pass without her having her say. I'm not worry about that. Blizz said he'd handle the Queen if she got herself involved. I trust he'll hold his end of the bargain up.

“Ma'am?”

She looked up and found those with her on the ship looking at her for further instruction. She breathed in deeply, and let it out slowly to buy her a few seconds to calm down. “Move on to the next city. Blitz Protocol. We don't have much time.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

How did it end up like this?

The Tuffles were a peaceful race, helping other races in need when they had the chance. They spent their time creating scientific innovations and enjoying peaceful relations with each other. When the Saiyans arrived eleven years ago, the Tuffles originally thought – more like hoped – they were there to engage in trade. No such thing happened. In the span a few nights, all but a relative handful of Tuffles were wiped from existence. In their place, the Saiyans inhabited their cities, learned their technology, and even started creating their own.

In the decade that followed, they masqueraded as some learned people, all the while ignoring the bloodshed that took place on those very streets. Their mockery of the Tuffle way of life was costing them dearly.

The majority of the most powerful Saiyans lived in or around the capital, The Focal Point. With it now a smoldering crater and them disintegrated, the only resistance left were nominally powerful Saiyans, and children. The Turripians were scholars, not fighters. That distinction always belonged to the Saiyans on Vocado and Callion. Blizz said the majority of the army would focus on those worlds later, but the Tuffles were more than enough to handle Turrip. Without their tails, the battle went very differently than last time.

City after city fell in no time. With their powerful weapons, they were able to wipe out entire swaths of fighters at once.

“Damn it, where is the reinforcements?!”

“Our communications were cut off before the invasion began. We can't get a message out!”

The outlook was bleak for Turrip. Many of their cities and much of their population had been wiped out. Out of the over ten million Saiyans who had lived their just hours ago, there was only a few hundred thousand. Over the last six hours, complete and utter devastation swept through the planet.

The last remaining Saiyans huddled together in a small suburban neighborhood, protected from the outside army by a single blue energy shield. It held up valiantly under the intense duress it found itself under, but the generator powering it couldn't take the kind of continuous pressure supplied by the Tuffles.

“Focus the shield breakers here!” Appel ordered, pointing to a single point. “We only need to get the plasma missiles inside. Let them do all the work from there.”

The shieldbreakers, high-powered hammers standing on tripods, struck the shield in the same area at the same time. Each strike weakened that particular area little by little. Inch by inch, the shield weakened, until finally, a crack started to form and the shield's integrity gave.

“We're in! Fire!!”

Three men with shoulder-mounted missile launchers fired several missiles through the crack. One was aimed for the generator powering the shield, while the other two blew open the building the remaining Saiyans were hiding in.

With the shield now gone, the slaughter began anew. Outmatched and with the majority of them unfit for combat, the Turripians stood no chance. In the thirty minutes, the final Saiyan on Turrip fell, dead from a knife to the heart.

“One final sweep. I want no survivors.”

An hour later, it was confirmed. The Saiyans were all dead.

A raucous, thunderous cheer rippled through the planet. “THE SAIYANS HAVE FALLEN!! WE'RE FREE! LONG LIVE BANANAN!!!”

A single space ship that had been in orbit over Turrip started to depart. “Ohohohohohoho!! One down. Five to go.”

[Tami]

Sitting on the bed in her room, Meagan held up a small tablet computer. Staring intently at it, she was reading a message and report from Chroma.

After nearly a half hour, she put the device down and leaned back on the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, she processed what she had read, and considered it's implications. It would be another half hour before she left the room and returned to the surface of the Lookout.

[KingofPie]

Sasheem stood at the edge of the lookout breathing in the fresh air, his backpack full of books. "Get ready, Earthlings..." Sasheem smirked, glancing down at the world below, barely visible beneath the clouds. Sasheem's gonna learn the ultimate killing art, and then the rest of ya will learn...the whole UNIVERSE will learn why Sasheem is your People's Destroyer! The GREATER ANNIHILAT-"

Sasheem was knocked off the Lookout due to a sudden punch in the face. A hit so sudden, strong, and fast, that it smashed the edge of the lookout that Sasheem stood on, with the assailant yelling a more and more distant, "SORRRYYyyyyyyyyyyy!" as Sasheem was tackled towards the Earth below.

[Tami]

That was strange.

Usually those they encountered in the room acknowledged them in the barest sense, but these two had personally addressed them as if they had been awaiting their spiritual visit. Before he could seek to ask them what they meant, the room shifted their surroundings to something else.

What was the reason behind witnessing the blind armies? Did it tie in to those they would be facing, or was there another agenda the Pendulum room had in store for them?

"Think we're still on Chroma?" He asked Cyanna, trying to take a glimpse of the surrounding fauna for any clues.

Before she could respond, Cyanna's sensitive hearing picks up on something. She grabs Charco's hand, "Come on, this way. There's something going on over there."

As the two move quickly towards the South-East, they soon see just past a low ridge, what looks like a training camp. To one side is a long wooden structure, a primitive barracks. In the center is a large open area, where many are gathered. Just past the open area is a pile of weapons, discarded as if in recent use but not yet put away.

Those within are almost recognizable as Chromakai, almost. Their skin color, while mostly still grey, now had hues of many other colors. There were as many with black hair as there were those with the various color shades Cyanna was used to.

Most significantly were their eyes, now several times larger than their ancestors and with a more clearly distinguishable structure. Black and grey were the predominant eye colors, but a few, very few, had unusual coloration. They were also taller, leaner, and more muscular than those who fought in that long again canyon battle.

As Charco and Cyanna approached, they could see that a sparing session was in progress. Two young females, locked in a frenzy of kicks, punches, and grappling moves. As they fought, the others watching from the outer boundary of the mini-arena, cheered each one on at a pitch that was just barely loud enough for Charco to hear.

Further away, the tallest of the group stood talking to someone who was clearly Not from Chroma. An off-worlder who bore a passing resemblance to the Frost Demons, only different.

The leader of the warriors in training, the one talking to the outsider, had a full head of crimson red hair, skin color that was more blue than grey, and eyes that were as blue as his skin. His bearing made him stand out as someone to be respected, and possibly feared.

[Cyke]

Zaofan gets up from his seat. He's been in the library long enough. It's time for some calisthenics, some warm ups, some actual training, and then more importantly, some dinner, before bed and then meeting with Parsley in the morning. He stretches, each sore spot deliciously unwinding. The chef picks up a couple books, gathers up his things, and exits the library, slightly concerned about this Crimson Sapphire Flower, tomorrow's training, the threat of Auroc, and more. Despite all their recent victories, these are uneasy times.

Sasheem stood at the edge of the lookout breathing in the fresh air, his backpack full of books. "Get ready, Earthlings..." Sasheem smirked, glancing down at the world below, barely visible beneath the clouds. Sasheem's gonna learn the ultimate killing art, and then the rest of ya will learn...the whole UNIVERSE will learn why Sasheem is your People's Destroyer! The GREATER ANNIHILAT-"

Sasheem was knocked off the Lookout due to a sudden punch in the face. A hit so sudden, strong, and fast, that it smashed the edge of the lookout that Sasheem stood on, with the assailant yelling a more and more distant, "SORRRYYyyyyyyyyyyy!" as Sasheem was tackled towards the Earth below.

However, as Zaofan proceeds up the stairs, he begins to feel a bit of relief and ease of tension. This feeling, this release, is mysterious and somewhat sudden, but it's like a great weight has fallen off of Zaofan's chest. While some degree of his ki sense is always on, and he can feel some kind of presence descend, the feeling is so relaxing that he doesn't bother to delve deeper or try to identify its signature. Rather, he is unable to tell the slight difference between that feeling of relief as if pure evil left the area, from some sort of realization that somehow, some way, everything's gonna be okay.

With a slight spring in his step, he smiles and makes his way up back to the kitchen, to find something to munch on.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

eleven years and six months ago a 23 human looking alien with glowing blue eyes has just arrived back on his home planet after taking part in a gruesome and bloody interstellar war. the war had taking many of his comrades lives but at lest he made it back home in one piece. well almost one piece as he had lost his right arm during the war, and it had to be replace by a bionic one. he is greeting by a old man who says" welcome back Sonata I'm glad you didn't come back in a casket."

Sonata replies to this saying " yeah I glad to it was hell out there in space." " so Ozzy how is everyone ?" " I been gone for a long time now." Ozzy replies to this saying " well things haven't change much here on Deoyama ."

" my hardware store is still doing good." " we're doing just fine and we all missed you , but …." Sonata replies to this saying " you said but is there something you're not telling me Ozzy." Ozzy replies to this saying " don't bother your self with it."


" it's nothing to worry about." " oh your twin brother wants to get in to the Galaxy Police so he's undergoing training." Sonata replies to this saying " wow good for him." Ozzy replies to this saying " I know right."



" I think your twin brother would make a fine Galactic lawman." " hey let's go back to my hardware store the others are waiting for you there. " meanwhile at Ozzy's hardware store a bunch of different types of aliens in suits are shooting up the place with one of them saying " Okay the boss says this place is let on it's protection money." " so you all better have my boss's money are else."





" you wouldn't like my boss when his angry." " so you fools better have the money!" one employee speaks up saying " but we already paid off our debt." the mobster Alien points his blaster at the employee saying " huh are you call my boss a F##@king liar?"


" now I dare you call my boss a liar again." " come on tell me that my boss is a liar." the employee replies to this in scared tone saying " yeah right what was thinking." " I'll get his money."

one Employee yells at the mobsters saying " okay I'm sick and tired of you bastards coming in here and busted up the place." " you're scaring away our customers." the employee manifests a entity and another employee looks at him saying " dammit Hast your just going to make thing worse!" mobster looks at the entity saying " oh these things again."


" yeah I saw one of these things the first time I was at this on this planet." " what did you people called these things again?" " oh that's right specters." " I also know that your kind and these specters are link together ."

" so what ever effects one effects the other." " so all I have to do is this." the mobster acts like he's going to shot the specter to lure the specter in to attack when him when it does he quickly changes his aiming direction and hits the person who manifested the specter blow off a chuck of his leg saying " you know you Espers have a unique ability too bad it's a double edge sword." " without high battle power that ability is pretty much useless."


" as from what I learn about specters is that their only as strong as the Esper who manifested them battle power." " the lower a Esper's battle Power the weaker their specter is." " it's that simple." " observing you Espers for quite awhile prove that much."


Hast screams in pain as the mobster says in cold tone " now those any one else want to be a F##@king hero?" " I didn't think so ." " now give me the boss's F#@#king money." " I'm losing my patience here."

a worker goes to the cash register and opens it and hands strange looking coins to the mobster saying " okay this is all we have a swear." the mobster looks at the coins saying " okay this will due for now but the next time I and the boys come back here you better have more money then this, or else this place might have an fortunate accident." " so you fools better remember who owns this F#@king galaxy your in." " cause the next time this store comes up short this store and everyone who works here is going to face my boss's wrath!"

later Sonata walks in to a busted up hardware store saying " what the hell happen here?" " why is Ozzy's Hardware store all busted up?" " who in the hell did this ?" Hast looks at Sonata as other workers help him up saying " it's nothing we just had a couple of rowdy customers is all Sonata."


" so your back from the war huh hero." Sonata replies to this saying " **** what the hell happen to you Hast your right leg is all messed up." Hast replies to this saying " oh this it was cause by a accident at work." " so how was the war ? "





Sonata replies to this saying " right accident didn't gotcha ya." " it was horrible." " many soldiers lost their lives and there wasn't any real point to it." " I'm just glad I didn't come back home in a casket."


"so where's my twin brother has he been by here?" Hast replies to this saying " your brother is busying training to become a Galaxy Police so he hasn't stop by here." Sonata replies to this saying " I see well if you see him tell him his brother said Hi." Sonata examines the damage done to Hast leg thinking to himself ( okay there's no damn why in hell that was cause by a work related accident)


( this hardware store doesn't carry until capable of doing damage like that. I seen damage like that during the war, and that looks like it the damage done by high energy beam. there's something that Ozzy isn't telling me. everyone is acting like everything is alright, but I have a feeling that there's something vile lurking around.)

Hast replies to this saying " so did anything positive happen during the war?" Sonata replies to this saying " well I did teach a couple of my fellow soldiers some slick posers and dance moves." " oh I create a slick team pose for the Special force unit I was in during the war."

[Yun Lao]

Before she could respond, Cyanna's sensitive hearing picks up on something. She grabs Charco's hand, "Come on, this way. There's something going on over there."

As the two move quickly towards the South-East, they soon see just past a low ridge, what looks like a training camp. To one side is a long wooden structure, a primitive barracks. In the center is a large open area, where many are gathered. Just past the open area is a pile of weapons, discarded as if in recent use but not yet put away.

Those within are almost recognizable as Chromakai, almost. Their skin color, while mostly still grey, now had hues of many other colors. There were as many with black hair as there were those with the various color shades Cyanna was used to.

Most significantly were their eyes, now several times larger than their ancestors and with a more clearly distinguishable structure. Black and grey were the predominant eye colors, but a few, very few, had unusual coloration. They were also taller, leaner, and more muscular than those who fought in that long again canyon battle.

As Charco and Cyanna approached, they could see that a sparing session was in progress. Two young females, locked in a frenzy of kicks, punches, and grappling moves. As they fought, the others watching from the outer boundary of the mini-arena, cheered each one on at a pitch that was just barely loud enough for Charco to hear.

Further away, the tallest of the group stood talking to someone who was clearly Not from Chroma. An off-worlder who bore a passing resemblance to the Frost Demons, only different.

The leader of the warriors in training, the one talking to the outsider, had a full head of crimson red hair, skin color that was more blue than grey, and eyes that were as blue as his skin. His bearing made him stand out as someone to be respected and possibly feared.

Guided forth by Cyanna, the two of them came across a well-weathered camp, hosting a group of warriors or soldiers, two of which were currently sparring. Compared to what they had previously seen, things had changed, or at least there seemed to be a more familiar military structure than the blind armies. Turning his gaze from the sparring girls and the cheering gathering, he focused on the one speaking to the off-worlder.

They appeared to have established contact with other worlds during the timeskip, although how long and how much influence the off-worlders had made was still to be determined. Regardless, the alien seemed to be speaking to the leader of the group, or at least, the strongest among them.

Uncertain of what action to take, he continued to watch for the time being.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Sarada landed on the Lookout and heaved out a heave sigh. "If I never see that creep again, it'll be too soon," she said to herself.

But, it was done. She had secured another... ****! She forgot to tell him when she wanted to try and come back to make her official proposal and show him what all she needed to.

****!

Wait, no. No matter. She could just call Jinzi ahead of time and have him set it up. It was okay.

She sighed again and headed for the kitchen. She was starving; nothing worked up an appetite quite like paranoia.

[KingofPie]

Sarada landed on the Lookout and heaved out a heave sigh. "If I never see that creep again, it'll be too soon," she said to herself.

But, it was done. She had secured another... ****! She forgot to tell him when she wanted to try and come back to make her official proposal and show him what all she needed to.

****!

Wait, no. No matter. She could just call Jinzi ahead of time and have him set it up. It was okay.

She sighed again and headed for the kitchen. She was starving; nothing worked up an appetite quite like paranoia.

Blizzar arrived soon after Sarada, calling back to her, "Get whatever sustenance you need, but do not forget about the discussion I proposed," the Galaxy Police Lieutenant reminded her.

[Tami]

Guided forth by Cyanna, the two of them came across a well-weathered camp, hosting a group of warriors or soldiers, two of which were currently sparring. Compared to what they had previously seen, things had changed, or at least there seemed to be a more familiar military structure than the blind armies. Turning his gaze from the sparring girls and the cheering gathering, he focused on the one speaking to the off-worlder.

They appeared to have established contact with other worlds during the timeskip, although how long and how much influence the off-worlders had made was still to be determined. Regardless, the alien seemed to be speaking to the leader of the group, or at least, the strongest among them.

Uncertain of what action to take, he continued to watch for the time being.

Leaning in towards Charco, Cyanna spoke softly but not much that he couldn't hear her, "That man, the one with the red hair. I think I know him, I mean know about him. He's in the history books, King Presus the Red. If it is him, this is amazing! He's the one who started unifying all of the separate tribes. Started, but it took his granddaughter, Queen Darma, to finish the job." Her excitement was evident, though she did her best not to draw attention to herself.

"That guy, the black and gold offworlder, he must be Tarsnow. The books say he was the one convinced King Presus to build his army and go after the other tribes on the North Continent. By the time of Queen Darma's son's rule, other offworlders were coming here to hire Chromakai for invasion forces or other mercenary activities."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Blizzar arrived soon after Sarada, calling back to her, "Get whatever sustenance you need, but do not forget about the discussion I proposed," the Galaxy Police Lieutenant reminded her.

The voice of the Arcosian officer attracted her attention. "We can walk and talk at the same time," she answered, gesturing for him to follow her.