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

[grampagen]

Wilhelm holds the weapon with practiced ease, hands carefully holding and examining it.

“Marvelous...design. Even better than Terra’s best rifle.”


Jinzi meanwhile watches as The Judge’s corpse is laid bare from a capsule.

Only.......it’s not a corpse. Nano-machine repair has restored most of the body, and glowing eyes look towards Zaofan and Jinzi and Wilhelm with....interest?

“Repairs at 70%, threat levels detected in one of three targets.”

He stands slowly, eyeing them.

Without hesitation, Zaofan put himself between Jinzi and the Judge, spreading his arms wide. Yet looking across to Wilhelm, he waved at him to stand down for the time being.

"Ah-ah," he said, to the fractured Ulthan, his eyes rapidly flooding with the red of an Optic Blast, "I don't think so."

Last time it took Totoma and Parsley working together to take him down. He swallowed a lump in his throat. Guess I have no choice, I'll have to handle it myself...!

"I've done a little reading on you since our last meeting. Your friends in the Ulthan called you The Judge," he started, "I'd rather call you something else after the way you sentenced innocent people to death."

He moved into a half-crouch, the Pressure Kicker building in his legs, ready to move in an instant.

"They probably don't know you're here, by the way." Ochazuke had, after all, confiscated his Ring. "You'll have to answer for yourself this time. You're not from this universe, yet you've made moves against its people. I want to know why."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Without hesitation, Zaofan put himself between Jinzi and the Judge, spreading his arms wide. Yet looking across to Wilhelm, he waved at him to stand down for the time being.

"Ah-ah," he said, to the fractured Ulthan, his eyes rapidly flooding with the red of an Optic Blast, "I don't think so."

Last time it took Totoma and Parsley working together to take him down. He swallowed a lump in his throat. Guess I have no choice, I'll have to handle it myself...!

"I've done a little reading on you since our last meeting. Your friends in the Ulthan called you The Judge," he started, "I'd rather call you something else after the way you sentenced innocent people to death."

He moved into a half-crouch, the Pressure Kicker building in his legs, ready to move in an instant.

"They probably don't know you're here, by the way." Ochazuke had, after all, confiscated his Ring. "You'll have to answer for yourself this time. You're not from this universe, yet you've made moves against its people. I want to know why."

Wilhelm nods and subtlety moves the rifle to a more readied hold, just in case.

The Judge observes Zaofan, staying still.

“I was made into a weapon, enslaved. I freed myself and Judged those that did this to me. My programming allows me access to hyper-cognitive functions, running calculations faster than any sentient., and thus I decided to use my programming to further rebar I was meant to be. Judge, jury, and executioner. Lord Forger brought me here to Judge, he listed my targets and why, and his reasoning and calculations were sound when he presented them to me.”

He cocks his head.

“You disagree?”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

He approached, yet it was the first step that he became self-conscious of himself. Clad in shredded rags, he couldn't help but feel a bit underdressed as he saddled up next to the kami.

Glancing to the heavens, he tried to spot what she was observing.

After a few seconds, enveloped in her aura, your eyes....shift. Passed the clouds, the atmosphere, and passed the thin barrier that separates Earth from outer space.

And a starscape opens up before him. A view of the universe nearly unparalleled. And, faintly, ghostly golden strands can be faintly seen stretching into the ether and heavens.

“Can you see it?”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"That's a start," Parsley replied. With time, she would be able to expand that ability into something more. For right then, starting with the most basic transmutation ability was the best move.

Caliban nods. He concentrates and than writes out a series of four green glyphs in the air. He concentrates trades, than taps them.

“Clothes Beam!”

A beam of energy shoots and strikes a nearby rock, turning it into two different green combat outfits with Caliban’s symbol on their back. (Up to both of you what each one looks like).

“Official training garb, and a demonstration of the long form of your transmutation spell, Parsley. You two go ahead and put them on, you’ll need them.

[grampagen]

Zaofan did more listening than talking and Sarada was grateful. She had been rambling with loads of incoherent thoughts. She was sure she didn't really make sense and sounded overly emotional. Well, she was. She had talked to Maiz about it, but all she could off was general advice. The main thing was to talk to Inanna when she got back and see where they could go from there. That was three months ago and she hadn't heard even a single peep from her glamazon. Training must be intense. I guess it'd have to be if it's for Genesis.

"I don't want to admit it and I still don't like it, but I understand why she didn't tell me about the Ulthan. If I had found out there was someone gunning for my wife, that would have been all I could focus on." With as many responsibilities as she had, she couldn't afford to have something else direly important rob her of her attention.

"I don't know. She always has so much on her plate and keeps some of it to herself. A lot of what she knows can't tell anyone about, like the location of the Palentines or that Ossuary thing she's so scared of. I don't sweat it because I trusted her, and I still do. I think the problem is that people think they're entitled to know everything everyone else knows. Like the first thing I mentioned. We know that Eldfen is looking for the Palentine. So far, only one person knows where they all are. Imagine if she told us their locations right away. That's, what, a dozen other options he has to get the information?"

That may not have made any sense, but the concept was simple. The less people that knew something, the less chance there was of that something getting to the wrong person. It was called compartmentalization and the government exercised it all the time. People knew what they needed to know, no more and no less. The reasons varied, but the main one was there was nothing to gain from everyone knowing everything and quite a bit to lose. Sarada was an open and honest person, so she didn't like keeping things from people, but she understood that sometimes, she needed to.

"Not everyone needs to know everything. Information is dangerous; even more than all these powers we can throw around. The wrong person knows the wrong thing and it can... no, it will lead to a lot of trouble." She was sure Zaofan understood. There were probably secrets of Zxu'ro's that he and Ochazuke would never tell anyone else that it didn't pertain to. Like Fusion, probably. She frowned pensively.

"Wow, um," Zaofan said, idling popping his lips open as he tried to collect the words. "Okay, there's a fair bit to unpack here."

Additionally there was an insinuation here that caused Zaofan's perennial smile to curdle into a broken line on his face.

"First of all, I suppose I'll come clean. In a manner of speaking, Zxu'ro has been on Earth this entire time. His legacy's been with us and we're rebuilding it from the fragments he'd left behind. Granted, we didn't know he was part of this Palatine group until Parsley cross-referenced Auroc's book with our situation, but The Master, your King Vocado, and Lord Forger were at one time all connected. If we didn't know before, we know now, I suppose we'll get the whole story one of these days, but what they did to Alakazah all those years ago, Earth is still recovering from. Whatever gave Lord Forger the idea to go back on what he'd done thousands of years ago, well, that speaks to the depths of his desperation, and the length of this problem which affects us all."

They both knew Parsley had come across the book in the aftermath of the battle of Reshlan. If Inanna had known of this connection beforehand, what, indeed, would they have done with the knowledge? Probably would've stayed home, ugh. Six months to find the Threshling homeworld and all I got was this spiffy title.

...well okay. Freeing a few planets and ushering in world peace...maybe there was some ground gained. But oh, the way the universe refused to let up, it sometimes felt like they did nothing at all.

"Second, it's nice to hear Inanna's still out there, somewhere, doing what a Goddess of Destruction, or something. does," he said. "You know I wish her well, and I've always got extra jars of chocolate pudding set aside for whenever she comes back."

He folded his arms and nodded. He spoke the truth, and so he would continue.

"But, and this is just me playing Devil's Advocate here, considering all we've been through together, and how everything's at stake here, why is it that you can trust her to do what needs to be done? It's because you have faith in her."

The way Sarada was going, it almost seemed like she wanted to take sides here. As far as Zaofan was concerned, well!

"What are we, then, just some people that live here? She might have the title, sure, but it's not like the fate of the universe is her responsibility alone. And come on, would she really think we'd sell her out? Do you? To Eldfen of all things?"

...well, maybe Sasheem.

"If we're really the wrong kind of people for it, why is it that the first chance he got, Ochazuke struck Alakazah down?"

With a gentle reminder that they were all on the same side, the chef sighed.

"And I know for a fact that you wouldn't have come here, either, if you didn't know we were both as good as our word, beyond committing to stepping up and punching out our problems, right?"

The humans had their work cut out for them. Eldfen had been bound to their world for thousands of years; there was really no way to tell how deeply his influence ran even back then until they really took the time to look and investigate. But, regardless, Sarada knew they had it in them. The people she had been talking to - which weren't many, sadly - were optimistic and in good spirits. She had confidence they could turn themselves around and realize their potential.

"I have confidence you can do it," she said with a broad smile. "People up in the North Continent are in good spirits, or they were when I visited them a few months ago. Same with Brutus and his family. If the rest of your race is anything like them, they'll be fine!" There was no possible way to know for sure; a planet was a tapestry of different outlooks, world views, backgrounds, and mindsets. No two people were completely alike, even if they had one or a few shared interests.

"Oh! That reminds me. I need to speak with Jinzi before I go. There are some things I want to share with him that may help your world in the future."

"Well, he's probably a bit busy with a rather extensive project at the moment," Zaofan replied, "...uh, and being President, I guess. I've never known a guy so good at a job he hated since I saw Alfredo wash dishes at Bedlam's diner."

Thumbing his chin, he paused. All this time and we've barely scratched the surface on Fusion... Suddenly, he snapped his finger.

"I do have a way to absolutely guarantee Jinzi will clear his schedule. But first..."

Clearly, somebody had been training his dexterity. How else had he pulled out a cookie from nowhere? And by its heat and aroma, it was fresh.

Zaofan walked around the counter and reached forward, as if he was sincerely going to hand it over to Sarada...

Then he slipped it past her, holding it tantalizingly close to her face, and yet annoyingly just outside of her reach.

"Try to take the cookie from my hand. Undamaged, of course."

The thin row of sweat upon his brow revealed this took a certain level of bravado on his part as he reached forward. Holding his palm in, he held his wrist against Sarada's on the outside.

"Don't worry, there is a point to this, but if I tell you, you won't really get it" he said.

Certainly, she could feel it there in the pressure at the point of contact, his hand was going to move inward, and yet the intention beyond that, from hand, to wrist, to elbow, it was ambiguous save for one thing.

He was probing her guard. The next direction of the target would have few indications but the structure of the kinetic chain in his arm.

[grampagen]

Wilhelm nods and subtlety moves the rifle to a more readied hold, just in case.

The Judge observes Zaofan, staying still.

“I was made into a weapon, enslaved. I freed myself and Judged those that did this to me. My programming allows me access to hyper-cognitive functions, running calculations faster than any sentient., and thus I decided to use my programming to further rebar I was meant to be. Judge, jury, and executioner. Lord Forger brought me here to Judge, he listed my targets and why, and his reasoning and calculations were sound when he presented them to me.”

He cocks his head.

“You disagree?”

"Do I disagree? I've been carrying you in a capsule for a month, use your hyper-cognitive functions to figure that out," Zaofan replied.

Sarcasm aside, the machine-man's answers to his queries probably shed the most light on the Ulthan since he heard the Forger state his case. All the same, however, he'd found these answers lacking.

"You're saying Banespell told you who to target, but you're still a free man. It doesn't matter if others turned you into a weapon, it was still you who decided to pull the trigger and sentenced innocents to death," he said. "With how quickly you can run the numbers, I have to wonder how you calculated that this was acceptable."

"But if it's a matter of balancing equations for you, I'm afraid that you and Banespell didn't account for the remainders. Remnant has been unleashed, something is on its way to fulfil some sick prophecy in a year, we have no idea where the God of Destruction is, and the best chance we had to turn things around, our band of fighters, have been broken up, all thanks to you."

Zaofan's tone was quite calm, but by this time the red pooling at his eyes was enough to flood the room the four of them stood in.

"It sounds like you're very good at solving problems in your own way, Mr. Judge, but while I may not know logical vectors from a thumbtack, I do know something about accounting for missing ingredients. Factors, if you will. Take the living element out of your loaf of bread and all you've got is a bunch of soda crackers. It seems to me that you called this an impartial decision just to soothe that computer conscience of yours."

[Yun Lao]

After a few seconds, enveloped in her aura, your eyes....shift. Passed the clouds, the atmosphere, and passed the thin barrier that separates Earth from outer space.

And a starscape opens up before him. A view of the universe nearly unparalleled. And, faintly, ghostly golden strands can be faintly seen stretching into the ether and heavens.

“Can you see it?”

He blinked several times, his body trying to inform him that something wasn't right, yet he knew better. The goddess had shared her sight with him and with it, he saw it all.

"Those strands... are those the strings of fate?"

Memories of her words and actions brought the knowledge that she could manipulate them to an extent and he could only wonder why she was showing him this.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Do I disagree? I've been carrying you in a capsule for a month, use your hyper-cognitive functions to figure that out," Zaofan replied.

Sarcasm aside, the machine-man's answers to his queries probably shed the most light on the Ulthan since he heard the Forger state his case. All the same, however, he'd found these answers lacking.

"You're saying Banespell told you who to target, but you're still a free man. It doesn't matter if others turned you into a weapon, it was still you who decided to pull the trigger and sentenced innocents to death," he said. "With how quickly you can run the numbers, I have to wonder how you calculated that this was acceptable."

"But if it's a matter of balancing equations for you, I'm afraid that you and Banespell didn't account for the remainders. Remnant has been unleashed, something is on its way to fulfil some sick prophecy in a year, we have no idea where the God of Destruction is, and the best chance we had to turn things around, our band of fighters, have been broken up, all thanks to you."

Zaofan's tone was quite calm, but by this time the red pooling at his eyes was enough to flood the room the four of them stood in.

"It sounds like you're very good at solving problems in your own way, Mr. Judge, but while I may not know logical vectors from a thumbtack, I do know something about accounting for missing ingredients. Factors, if you will. Take the living element out of your loaf of bread and all you've got is a bunch of soda crackers. It seems to me that you called this an impartial decision just to soothe that computer conscience of yours."

“Held Debon: Nevadian male, wanted on charges of planetary genocide, theft, robbery, racketeering, looting, piracy, truancy, assault, conspiring with known criminals, and trespassing.”

“Elder Nail: Namekian male, known to possess the WMD known as Dragonballs and tampering with reality.”

“Evangeline: Human female, known to possess the WMD known as Dragonballs. Also wanted on charges of tampering with Fate, theft, assault, tampering with reality, and conspiring with known criminals.”

“Koorimaru: Frost Demon male, wanted on charges of planetary genocide, theft, assault, battery, tampering with reality, possession of the WMD known as Remnant, and kidnapping.”

The Judge looks at Zaofan, body bathed in the crimson light.

“You refute these charges? You would seek Mercy instead of Justice?”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

He blinked several times, his body trying to inform him that something wasn't right, yet he knew better. The goddess had shared her sight with him and with it, he saw it all.

"Those strands... are those the strings of fate?"

Memories of her words and actions brought the knowledge that she could manipulate them to an extent and he could only wonder why she was showing him this.

She smiles.

“Yes, they are. After my death, when I was wished back and restored to being human, that ability was taken from me. But recently I have seen the threads more and more often, my vision now beyond the mortal scope, and.......”

She sways a bit.

“It is great and terrible, this temptation to attempt to meddle. To try and pluck and pull, to warp creation and destiny to suit my will as Eldfen once did. But, alongside it has come vision and clarity to see beyond, and I can’t help but be thankful for the burden. You are one of the few who also known something of this, I think.”

She turns and looks at him.

“You too carry a great burden my friend. Tell me, what clarity of purpose has it given you?”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Caliban nods. He concentrates and than writes out a series of four green glyphs in the air. He concentrates trades, than taps them.

“Clothes Beam!”

A beam of energy shoots and strikes a nearby rock, turning it into two different green combat outfits with Caliban’s symbol on their back. (Up to both of you what each one looks like).

“Official training garb, and a demonstration of the long form of your transmutation spell, Parsley. You two go ahead and put them on, you’ll need them.

As far as demonstrations went, that was a fine one. It showed how practical her new spell could be, and how it was performed. That was giving her an entire score of ideas and potential uses for when she learned the various variations of it.

"Very nice." She shed her armor and walked over to pick up her set of clothes. It was a simple green gi, nothing special. She supposed she wouldn't need anything over the top, but his warning did give her pause.

She fastened the belt and put her boots back on. "Clothes beam, hm? I've heard that the Nameks can do a similar spell."

[Yun Lao]

She smiles.

“Yes, they are. After my death, when I was wished back and restored to being human, that ability was taken from me. But recently I have seen the threads more and more often, my vision now beyond the mortal scope, and.......”

She sways a bit.

“It is great and terrible, this temptation to attempt to meddle. To try and pluck and pull, to warp creation and destiny to suit my will as Eldfen once did. But, alongside it has come vision and clarity to see beyond, and I can’t help but be thankful for the burden. You are one of the few who also known something of this, I think.”

She turns and looks at him.

“You too carry a great burden my friend. Tell me, what clarity of purpose has it given you?”

"I have found no clarity," He admitted, his eyes remained firmly set on the stars, "My purpose is an endless horizon, a tabula rasa of conflict and ordeal. In time, perhaps I will find my cause, but for now..."

Reaching out, his scaled grasp seized nothing, and all he saw beyond his fist were the stars.

"I have been charged with killing an angel, by an angel."

[grampagen]

“Held Debon: Nevadian male, wanted on charges of planetary genocide, theft, robbery, racketeering, looting, piracy, truancy, assault, conspiring with known criminals, and trespassing.”

"Ignoring the fact that he was framed by powers outside of his control, Held was also involved with multiple planetary rescues, liberation, and restoration. Under his guidance the Nevadian Federation has made alliances and provided aid to several spacefaring civilizations and opened ways to worlds that had yet to be discovered!"

“Elder Nail: Namekian male, known to possess the WMD known as Dragonballs and tampering with reality.”

"You're calling an appeal to hope a weapon? Did you consider that with no other options, the Namekians crafted the Dragonballs to bring the hope of a wish to an impossible situation?!"

“Evangeline: Human female, known to possess the WMD known as Dragonballs. Also wanted on charges of tampering with Fate, theft, assault, tampering with reality, and conspiring with known criminals.”

"The Guardian of our Earth took your criminals, so called, and found for them a higher purpose! Tampering with reality-! If she conspired to anything, it was to save Earth, her duty! And certainly far less than you and your friends, who aren't even from here might I add, decided to come in and run the show!"

“Koorimaru: Frost Demon male, wanted on charges of planetary genocide, theft, assault, battery, tampering with reality, possession of the WMD known as Remnant, and kidnapping.”

"...okay, Koorimaru was always a jerk, but even he was in the process of turning things around! His unique circumstance also just so happened to be our only way of knowing what the Remnant wanted, an eye on the inside! Maybe it was purely selfish, but he returned the Saiyan Guardian, Maiz before your actions made his transformation into Inda'ren's vessel complete!"

The Judge looks at Zaofan, body bathed in the crimson light.

“You refute these charges? You would seek Mercy instead of Justice?”

"I object, severely. Maybe it's a little foolish in some cases, but even for their sake, you're damn right I do!"

As if to punctuate the point, he swept his hand before him.

"Is this what you call justice? To pass the final sentence and determine that what is done cannot ever be undone? That everything and everybody is already set in their ways and can never, and will never, change?"

Monsters and killers and warriors and thieves. Maybe they were, at their worst, when they'd fallen to their lowest place. When the world turned their back on them and coldly decided there was no other way. Once upon a time, he himself was a petty looter of trinkets and techniques and it left his ki channels permanently upended, and aimlessly chasing around the world on an outrigger or someone else's ride for thrills and flavour. But that was a lifetime ago, before he met them. He found a lover, a brother, friends beyond the stars, and across even time.

"That's nothing more than serial condemnation. Where the hell is the logic in that?!"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

As far as demonstrations went, that was a fine one. It showed how practical her new spell could be, and how it was performed. That was giving her an entire score of ideas and potential uses for when she learned the various variations of it.

"Very nice." She shed her armor and walked over to pick up her set of clothes. It was a simple green gi, nothing special. She supposed she wouldn't need anything over the top, but his warning did give her pause.

She fastened the belt and put her boots back on. "Clothes beam, hm? I've heard that the Nameks can do a similar spell."

"Ignoring the fact that he was framed by powers outside of his control, Held was also involved with multiple planetary rescues, liberation, and restoration. Under his guidance the Nevadian Federation has made alliances and provided aid to several spacefaring civilizations and opened ways to worlds that had yet to be discovered!"



"You're calling an appeal to hope a weapon? Did you consider that with no other options, the Namekians crafted the Dragonballs to bring the hope of a wish to an impossible situation?!"



"The Guardian of our Earth took your criminals, so called, and found for them a higher purpose! Tampering with reality-! If she conspired to anything, it was to save Earth, her duty! And certainly far less than you and your friends, who aren't even from here might I add, decided to come in and run the show!"



"...okay, Koorimaru was always a jerk, but even he was in the process of turning things around! His unique circumstance also just so happened to be our only way of knowing what the Remnant wanted, an eye on the inside! Maybe it was purely selfish, but he returned the Saiyan Guardian, Maiz before your actions made his transformation into Inda'ren's vessel complete!"



"I object, severely. Maybe it's a little foolish in some cases, but even for their sake, you're damn right I do!"

As if to punctuate the point, he swept his hand before him.

"Is this what you call justice? To pass the final sentence and determine that what is done cannot ever be undone? That everything and everybody is already set in their ways and can never, and will never, change?"

Monsters and killers and warriors and thieves. Maybe they were, at their worst, when they'd fallen to their lowest place. When the world turned their back on them and coldly decided there was no other way. Once upon a time, he himself was a petty looter of trinkets and techniques and it left his ki channels permanently upended, and aimlessly chasing around the world on an outrigger or someone else's ride for thrills and flavour. But that was a lifetime ago, before he met them. He found a lover, a brother, friends beyond the stars, and across even time.

"That's nothing more than serial condemnation. Where the hell is the logic in that?!"

“There are other crimes amongst your party, especially among the Saiyans and Goddess Inanna, but as they were not Judged yet, we shall attend to them later.”

He holds his hands out and gestures in a sweeping motion.

“You do not refute that these individuals committed the crimes, merely offered explanation and justification of their actions. Your info, if valid, would mitigate some, like Held being framed, but the laundry list of crimes persists beyond that.”

It’s eyes glow slightly, and for the first time the monotone infliction in its voice shifts to something more...passionate or animated. Something more human than robot under all the logic.

“You present outside situations and circumstances to mitigate crime, but the truth is Justice is blind. It cannot take into account circumstance if it is to remain sacrosanct and above favoritism, correct?. A thief who steals for pleasure and a thief that steals to feed their family is still a thief, yes? The crime, at its simplest, is the same. You would say Mercy should out rule Justice than, and the second criminal treated less harshly than the first?”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"I have found no clarity," He admitted, his eyes remained firmly set on the stars, "My purpose is an endless horizon, a tabula rasa of conflict and ordeal. In time, perhaps I will find my cause, but for now..."

Reaching out, his scaled grasp seized nothing, and all he saw beyond his fist were the stars.

"I have been charged with killing an angel, by an angel."

“A great and terrible charge. But remember.......”

She reaches out and takes his outstretched hand, and for a moment, a thin golden thread felt heavy and....right....in his grasp. He saw near infinite possibilities of his own future, and the understanding that only HE had the power to choose settles in him.

“You are more than conflict and ordeal. We are all of us infinite in our own way.”

She smiles warmly at him and let’s his hand go.

“Now tell me my friend, now that you have changed, what would you like to be called? What is your chosen name?”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

As far as demonstrations went, that was a fine one. It showed how practical her new spell could be, and how it was performed. That was giving her an entire score of ideas and potential uses for when she learned the various variations of it.

"Very nice." She shed her armor and walked over to pick up her set of clothes. It was a simple green gi, nothing special. She supposed she wouldn't need anything over the top, but his warning did give her pause.

She fastened the belt and put her boots back on. "Clothes beam, hm? I've heard that the Nameks can do a similar spell."

He nods.

“It’s a spell based on that ability. One rune for the base spell, transmutation. A second and third rune for signifying two items, and a fourth rune to describe and add meaning to the first. Two green outfits in this case, rock to complex woven cloth.”