Dragonball M, Chapter 4: Kidnapping! Invasion! A new Threat Strikes First!

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The Meister says nothing at the dragonball’s sudden appearance.


Sihn, however, eyes it with distaste.

“It’s a Soul Dragonball. Inside resides a brutal amalgamation of twisted souls, molded into a type of Wish dragon. It usually takes three or four of the dragonballs to summon one, and their capabilities are limited, though they are not bound by the same restrictions most wish dragons are. Normally, during my few altercations with the Cabal and others like them, soul dragonballs take at least a million souls to create and it is a brutal, terrible process. I had thought they were all destroyed during my last dust up with them.”

His eyes start to glow, his voice dropping low and angry.

“It’s an abomination of pain, suffering, and a perversion. It’s presence alone is an affront to anything that is good and true and just. Even owning one is a death sentence most times.”

Another amalgamation of souls, twisted into the form of a demented wish dragon. Four were required to summon one; and millions of souls were required to make even one, meaning countless souls were snatched from their eternal slumber to create those abominations.

"I see." She held the dragonball aloft, allowing what ambient light the cavern had to shine through it. It gave off an eerie crimson gleam, made even more unnerving by the knowledge of what it held trapped within.

"Can Sheki'hinah release the souls trapped in this safely?"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Another amalgamation of souls, twisted into the form of a demented wish dragon. Four were required to summon one; and millions of souls were required to make even one, meaning countless souls were snatched from their eternal slumber to create those abominations.

"I see." She held the dragonball aloft, allowing what ambient light the cavern had to shine through it. It gave off an eerie crimson gleam, made even more unnerving by the knowledge of what it held trapped within.

"Can Sheki'hinah release the souls trapped in this safely?"

“Maybe, but I certainly can.”

He draws the gun once more and starts channeling creation energy into it.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

“Maybe, but I certainly can.”

He draws the gun once more and starts channeling creation energy into it.

Parsley held the dragonball aloft between two fingers to give him a clear target.

[grampagen]

The Meister says nothing at the dragonball’s sudden appearance.


Sihn, however, eyes it with distaste.

“It’s a Soul Dragonball. Inside resides a brutal amalgamation of twisted souls, molded into a type of Wish dragon. It usually takes three or four of the dragonballs to summon one, and their capabilities are limited, though they are not bound by the same restrictions most wish dragons are. Normally, during my few altercations with the Cabal and others like them, soul dragonballs take at least a million souls to create and it is a brutal, terrible process. I had thought they were all destroyed during my last dust up with them.”

His eyes start to glow, his voice dropping low and angry.

“It’s an abomination of pain, suffering, and a perversion. It’s presence alone is an affront to anything that is good and true and just. Even owning one is a death sentence most times.”

The Soul Meister's uses were increasingly few. However, the contraption which bound him was rather intuitive for whoever held onto it. With a gesture, his ghost was, in an instant, sealed within the Soul Splicer. As Ochazuke had said, he would not allow him to pass on.

Perhaps if you are able to \ peer past the glass, you may bear witness to what will come to pass, denied of all agency for eternity.

Driven by a slavish hunger, he'd made his choice long ago. With the materialization of this Soul Dragonball, Ochazuke's expression softened for a moment as the irony of a suspended soul twisted to nothing more than instrumental purpose struck him.

Another amalgamation of souls, twisted into the form of a demented wish dragon. Four were required to summon one; and millions of souls were required to make even one, meaning countless souls were snatched from their eternal slumber to create those abominations.

"I see." She held the dragonball aloft, allowing what ambient light the cavern had to shine through it. It gave off an eerie crimson gleam, made even more unnerving by the knowledge of what it held trapped within.

"Can Sheki'hinah release the souls trapped in this safely?"

"We've seen the like before back in the Nebula Star Forge," Ochazuke said. "The Doctor's scheme to take the souls of entire alternate timelines, whole worlds, to empower a fitful scheme to rewrite reality."

The distorted shapes and coloured glass filled with the screams of billions was still fresh in his mind, the was they rose from their containment to that mocking soul that planned to feed off of it. By their efforts, they'd been shattered. But this red sphere had been pulled from Auroc's horde, suggesting it was ancient.

"Billions of lives taken, commodified, and for what? That those who already possess great power may do the unthinkable...?"

Furthermore, one Dragonball suggested it was part of a manufactured set. Who knows who else may have had the rest?

"...if you can destroy it, then see the deed done. I may have other means to find the ones responsible for this abomination."

[MrSandman]

"......N.........N..n........."

The silence of the void was broken with the sound of static, the kind only particularly cheap equipment provided. The voice was barely audible....but the white noise accompanying it was almost strangely soothing. It was like a background hum against the silence of space...the only reminder she was not in a saiyan shaped coffin in space. It was a welcome distraction when it came......just not the voice that came with it.

"...Nion....can you hear me?"

"Yes, I'm here." The suited Saiyan woman answered with just enough annoyance to not push her luck. Dangling on a cable out in space was one of the few places where giving her captain lip was a bad idea....and even then she was tempted to ignore him. Alas, there was work to be done. "Just enjoying the view."

"Kinda morbid considering where we are..." The young voice of the comm officer aboard the small chirped in as was usual for him.

He wasn't wrong, it was likely a fairly morbid thing for a Saiyan to utter. But Nion didn't particular care....not now, perhaps when she had heard it for the first time there had been the smallest ting of shock.......but it passed, like all things do. The great Vocado, throne world of the Saiyan race.

Reduced to a cloud of rocks and dust in the blink of an eye.

"They had it coming..." Nion muttered under her breath as her feet touched down on the chuck of space rock that had once been deep within the old planets mantle. Giving one last tug on the cable, she slammed a anchor point into the ground and secured it.

"Huh?" The Captains voice boomed over the line.

"I said Point 4 secure." Nion responded back, pushing herself off the rock and letting her momentum carry her back towards the small survey ship.

It was almost a given that they were breaking some law, somewhere.....or at the very least offending someone. It almost made Nion a bit curious on the official stance for it....if it counted as grave robbing if you technically only stole the dirt around the grave? It didn't matter to her one bit, she just went where the crew told her, did the jobs she needed to do, took what pittance of pay she got and moved on to the next job. It was how it had always been....even growing up on the very planet whose shell she was now picking for ejected ore.

"I'm coming back for point 5.." Nion spoke through the comms as she began her lazy float back towards the ship. One more anchor should about to it.....and then they could haul this chuck of rock back out to the larger processing ship.

After a confirmation from the ship, silence reigned once more. Inertia carried her up the line towards the ship, and she allowed herself a moment to scan the rock filled void around here. For a moment....she can barely see a glint of something metallic jutting out of a small piece of rock floating by. Probably the foundation to some families home....or a bit of a building.

For a moment, Nion even imagined it as a piece of the damn meat market orphanage she had been raised in. It put a smile on her face, something thing few other things could claim these days.

*BBBBBBZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzHHHHHHHHZHHHH*

Nion visible grit her teeth as her communication unit suddenly screamed. The white noise was nothing like it was normally....instead it sounded like a hundred, or a thousand different sounds screaming together. Her armed jerked instinctively to cover her ears but met only with the sides of her helmet. In desperation she cut power to the communication line.

It sputtered and died on the sound of a woman's scream.

~~~~~~~~~

Seconds later, all hell broke loose.

The ship jerked violently off station and was forced to fire starboard engines to try and maintain their position, the captains drink was sent flying through the air and onto the comms officer, who had been already screaming from the violently loud static that had begun clearing over all communication channels. The burning liquid was only mildly less painful.

Moments later the towing cables went taunt, and despite the best efforts of some 24-year old equipment...the ship was being dragged slowly out of position, both by some invisible and force and now by the very rock they had come to pull out of there, while the port shield was being battered by a sudden swarm of tiny rocks.

1000 meters starboard, space had taken on a strange multi-hued tint...twisting and warping as the mass around it was attracted to a newly formed singularity.

With a multi-ton anchor now pulling them towards what amounted to a sudden black hole, the captain pulled upon his multi year experience as a garbage ship operator.....

....and in between panic, opted to dump the trash and GTFO.

Within moment the ship manually severed the tow cables Nion had spent over an hour putting in place...one of which Nion had been dangling helplessly from, and fired all available thrusters in an attempt to pull away from the growing maw in space before it...

....with a lurch, the pull of the singularity vanished. There was a blinding flash....but the captain and crew of the Queens refuse never got to see what transpired beyond. The ship lurched forward violently, followed immediately by a powerful shove that sent it carrening into a mass of rock several times its size that had been pulled in towards the maw. It effect was immediate, like a bug hitting a car window. A explosion flashed in the darkness...and was just as quickly snuffed out among the bright white light that followed.

Space twisted, then teared.....and in its place emerged a monster.



~~~~~~~~~

"....Spatial Rift Sequence Complete.....Returning Quantum Drive to Standby mode."

"Sensors indicate normal space...I repeat....we've exited Void space! We've done it!"

In contrast to the tragedy that had unfolded just moments ago....aboard the strange ship a sense of jubilation had erupted from the bridge crew. Suited men and women congratulated each other, cheering erupted, one person nearly feinted in her seat. Their gambit had worked, beyond all calculated risks of failure and odds stacked squarely against them they had succeeded in escaping.

A gruff military officer give the scene a look of disgust but said nothing.

In the captains seat, a woman sat with hands folded and a warm smile dancing on her lips. her gaze floated over the celebrating crew, then the gruff officer to whom she sighed with a finger on her temple. "Give them this moment Durin, its the least they've earned...."

"Pfft.....we're not out of the woods yet, *captain*.......but fine..." The man managed to smirk a moment, then turned his back to her and stepped off to ensure the more important functions were still being monitored.

"Attention everyone..." The "captain" rose from her seat and clapped...bringing all the bridge crew to her attention. "It has been a hard couple months....I know. You've all fought valiantly for the survival of this ship, its crew, and the previous cargo it holds. Even though this is but the first step of many into an unfamiliar place....I have full confidence in our resourcefulness, our tenacity, and the strength of our ingenuity. We will carve a place here to call out own, we will survive even though our universe said we should not! We are not slaves to time! We are its Masters!"

Cheers erupted from the bridge crew.

"LONG LIVE THE TUFFLES!" Came a shout.

"LONG LIVE THE TUFFLES!" The tuffle bridge crew exploded into cheers.

"Long live the Tuffle alliance." Captain Clemmen responded with a slightly muted, but nonetheless bright smile.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Sihn draws and fires, the creation billet shattering the red dragonball. A torrent of souls pour out, and amongst them are thousands of human and Saiyan souls amidst the torrent.


After about a minute, the last flee to their judgement or reward, and Sihn nods.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Sihn draws and fires, the creation billet shattering the red dragonball. A torrent of souls pour out, and amongst them are thousands of human and Saiyan souls amidst the torrent.


After about a minute, the last flee to their judgement or reward, and Sihn nods.

With that, it was done and over. The abominable soul dragonball - the final one if she understood correctly - had been destroyed. The Meister had outlived his usefulness. They had learned of new enemies and been reminded for others. There was much to think about, but she had other business to attend to.

She placed her fingers to her forehead and searched for Ms. Landinghorn's energy so she could take them back to Otherworld. "I think we're done here."

[grampagen]

With that, it was done and over. The abominable soul dragonball - the final one if she understood correctly - had been destroyed. The Meister had outlived his usefulness. They had learned of new enemies and been reminded for others. There was much to think about, but she had other business to attend to.

She placed her fingers to her forehead and searched for Ms. Landinghorn's energy so she could take them back to Otherworld. "I think we're done here."

"Indeed," Ochazuke said.

With a wave of his hand, the Forger's Hammer disappeared.

"Little over half a year has passed. If Sakin were to play his gambit, we've left this matter unattended for far too long," he said, lowering his head as he pondered.

"However...pertaining to the Way Between Worlds, there may be a place we can start. It will require a rather forceful negotiation.*"

For now, it would suit their purposes to leave this ghastly place.

*Ochazuke and Zaofan did some stuff yet to be written that will come to fruition in about Month 8 or something. Stay tuned for another sidequest, True Believers.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Indeed," Ochazuke said.

With a wave of his hand, the Forger's Hammer disappeared.

"Little over half a year has passed. If Sakin were to play his gambit, we've left this matter unattended for far too long," he said, lowering his head as he pondered.

"However...pertaining to the Way Between Worlds, there may be a place we can start. It will require a rather forceful negotiation.*"

For now, it would suit their purposes to leave this ghastly place.

*Ochazuke and Zaofan did some stuff yet to be written that will come to fruition in about Month 8 or something. Stay tuned for another sidequest, True Believers.

"Do what you must, but what I said about Sarada and I going there ourselves is true." It wasn't so much about two battle-hungry Saiyans going to pick a fight, but to preemptively take care of the future threats that it sounded like Sakin intended on unleashing upon the universes. The number of beings held within that mysterious void was likely infinitesimal, but if they could take out the major players - the Dreadnaught of Mala, the Honzu Civilization, and the remainder of the Cabal - then that would be good enough. Preferably, she would like to venture there after they undergo Lampton's ritual and ascend to Saiyan Gods.

Parsley made sure Sihn and Ochazuke were holding to her, then teleported out of that damned cavern and directly in front of Ms. Landinghorn's desk.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

They reappear by Ms. Landinghorn's desk, the Oni nodding.

“Finished your business than? You have seven meetings you’ve delayed that require your attention, foremost with your Kai’s.”

Sihn sighs slightly and nods.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

They reappear by Ms. Landinghorn's desk, the Oni nodding.

“Finished your business than? You have seven meetings you’ve delayed that require your attention, foremost with your Kai’s.”

Sihn sighs slightly and nods.

Meetings, multiple a day, were the reason why Parsley no longer wanted to be Queen. Had she known that would be what her days consisted of while on the throne, she never would have bothered taking part in the tournament and embarrassing herself.

"Have fun with that. Unless there's anything else, we'll be heading to Earth."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Meetings, multiple a day, were the reason why Parsley no longer wanted to be Queen. Had she known that would be what her days consisted of while on the throne, she never would have bothered taking part in the tournament and embarrassing herself.

"Have fun with that. Unless there's anything else, we'll be heading to Earth."

“Stay safe and ready. Good luck to you both.”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

“Stay safe and ready. Good luck to you both.”

Parsley nodded and placed two fingers on her forehead. She spread her senses wide, piercing the veil between living and dead in search of a particular energy source. "Found it." She placed her hand on Ochazuke's shoulder.

Perfect Intuition: Instant Transmission

In an instant, they were whisked across the distance and reappeared on the Lookout.

Right next to Sarada.

[KingofPie]

Blizzar sat idly at his office, looking somewhat nostalgically at his startlingly empty surroundings. In all honesty, it was a very slow week and he had just finished processing all the information he could about the events currently sending this universe into conflict. Perhaps a little R&R was needed soon or maybe even...a change of pace. A fellow lieutenant, a recent one, walked though his door, a datapad in hand, tearing Blizzar from his daydreams for the moment.

"Good news, lieutenant," the officer greeted. "You may be in line for that promotion you've always wanted after all!"

"Hmm. Is that so?" Blizzar sat up from his desk, only mildly interested in the good news. His brow raised slightly as he noticed files being loaded onto his computer, no doubt from the datapad. This was all standard procedure but the download speed was....abnormally slow. "What is this exactly, the paperwork?" Blizzar had to question.

"Oh no, I'll forward you that too. But the brass wants you to help instruct some of the new cadets for our recruitment drive."

"Right, right..." Blizzar nodded.

"We've done a massive sweep in getting new recruits out of the Namekians, Mechanoids, Chromakai and Toadians." his fellow lieutenant explained. "They've each filled out forms...y'know the usual stuff. Physicals, psyche profiles, skills, likes/dislikes, all that jazz. We've got 'em filed into different folders for each species."

"Ah, I see...and each of these dossiers take up, ah..." Blizzar took a glance at the download. "...Eighty million terrabytes, do they?"

"Oh no, just one of them!"

"...which one?" Blizzar's eyes narrowed.

"I believe....you know which one, sir," the other officer shrugged.

"I suppose I do..." Blizzar sighed, noting that the document had finally finished downloading. Blizzar figured he was quite fortunate that he had his files transferred to his personal data storage not too long ago. Especially once the smoke began to emit from his monitor upon loading in the first dossier. "You, know, lieutenant..." Blizzar went on. "I may have a document to forward to you as well."

"Oh?"

"My resignation," Blizzar commented.

"Wh-what?!" The other officer spat. "But sir! Lieutenant! Y-you can't! You see all that's going on out there now, we need your expertise, you were in the thick of it!"

"And my expertise, you shall have," Blizzar nodded. "Potentially for a price. I'm starting a new career as a Private Investigator. AND!" Blizzar raised a finger. "A private security contractor. With my Planetary Defense System."

"You mean...the GP's Planetary Defense System.," the lieutenant stated, the shock of Blizzar's resignation not quite wearing off.

"No, I mean mine. It's in the contract, you see." He began to recall, 'Should the PDS ever become compromised and the GP's resources proven insufficient to complete the project then the original genius behind the initial concept, i.e me, will become the sole rights holder to all PDS units both operational and in-operational'....something to that effect."

"Make sure the necessary parties are notified in time. Wouldn't want them to be out of the loop," Blizzar stated, sitting up from his desk. "As you can see, my office is already mostly vacated. No need to worry about anything much..." he turned around, noticing his laptop beginning to crackle with electricity. "You may want to have someone do something about that though," The Arcosian chuckled as he made his leave.

[grampagen]

"...and after we've rolled the chilled lard into the dough in layers, that's how we give our shell that fall-apart quality. But as always, patience. All good things come in time."

Once more the Lookout kitchens were in full blast. Over the half year or so, Zaofan had made sure to refine his craft not only in combat, but also his passions. Preparing for the end of the universe, that was certainly dreary business, and he didn't take it lightly...

"We'll weight that down with some pie-weights, and pop that into the oven...oh! Kumara, look what we have here!"

Crimped along the edges, golden brown from the egg-washed surface, a whole, hot, cherry pie.

...three of them.

"This was your aunt's favourite, if I recall correctly," he said, laying out the pastries and their boiling hot fillings off to the window. "But now...you've got to wait a bit."

Pulling out several more baked pie shells, he began to arrange them with whatever he had lying around. Apples, strawberry, rhubarb, lamb, potatoes, each into the tin, savoury or sweet, some criss-crossed with bacon instead of lattice. One batch after another.

With the surprise of three Saiyan visitors, well, he knew he had his work cut out for him.

It was just as well. Ever since Etrina had disappeared, the man threw himself into his work with a fervent zeal. Outwardly, it seemed the chef had put his martial precision into every facet, but the truth of the matter, well-

Parsley nodded and placed two fingers on her forehead. She spread her senses wide, piercing the veil between living and dead in search of a particular energy source. "Found it." She placed her hand on Ochazuke's shoulder.

Perfect Intuition: Instant Transmission

In an instant, they were whisked across the distance and reappeared on the Lookout.

Right next to Sarada.

"--GAHH-!!! GEEZ~!"

Half a dozen pies flew into the air in an instant, and were just as suddenly reset onto the windowsill.

"Don't you people knock?!"

Ochazuke pat his martial brother on the shoulder, and Zaofan sighed, shaking his head as he set things down.

"...it was bad, wasn't it?"

Ochazuke nod silently, crossing his view over to Sarada. Stiffly, he cracked his neck to one side, still disgusted from the ordeal he and Parsley had gone through.

"Sakin's plot has been in motion for some time now. It's become clear he hasn't been working alone."

The Parasites, Sarada would know well on that day years ago. The layered scheme of the Soul Meister and the thread of his Cabal of Thorns he relayed to the Saiyan Queen in brief.

"Not only were they recruiting departed souls, they've been watching us for some time. Everything his proxies touch bring him a view of the situation," he continued. "Moreover there is something solvent involving the Way Between Worlds."

Idly he set the kettle on the stove.

"A rather pressing matter to keep behind the veil of death, don't you think?"