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

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"They had been judged accordingly by the deeds rendered by their own hand. If they squandered their second chance, let that fall upon their heads as well."

With a sharp tilt of his head, he pulled his view from Asha'rah to the more immediate concerns. "Like any other people, perhaps they are not a collective monolith. The most visible are always the most atrocious. But the matters of dead men will have to wait."

They had a name, a location. One fixed point.

In the centre of many radial divergences.

"It may not just be a question of where, Parsley. He's been pulling his forces from divergent futures."

The problem in tracing the Doctor with all they had available to them would be quite self-evident to those who peered beyond the First Race's fragmentes pieces.

"He himself seeks to usurp Time. If he struck at us within our present, it would be a simple matter to find him. But he stands outside space, outside of the moment."

The nexus of all possibly futures, reaching back to the past.

Standing on the outside of time and space, The Doctor had the advantage of being not just in any place, but any time. The former was bad enough; adding the latter on top of it had them at a constant disadvantage. No matter how many pieces of the puzzle they assembled, they would always remain one step behind. If Ochazuke was right, then The Doctor was pulling allies from as far as the dawn of creation itself. Surely, no mortal person was meant to see that, yet he spat in the face of the preordained order of all things for his own selfish desires, so moral limitations held no consideration in his mind.

Completing their current task was now more important than ever. The time stones allowed him to travel through time itself. Removing them from his inventory removed the biggest advantage he held over their heads. With the time-stream locked from his entry, he would be forced to face them with whatever army he had managed to build and amass to that point.

It was to their fortune that the next two missions promised to be simple. Then again, the tournament ended up being more difficult and time consuming than anyone thought, so the ease of Pike's world and the next one remained to be seen.

"Without the time stones and Zurvan's power at his disposal, he'll be forced to spend the rest of his time in the present, right?" she asked not just Ochazuke, but all who were near and listening. "If his biggest advantage is being able to assault us from any point in time, then removing that ability will force him closer to our level, if not outright so. But I wonder, once we do so, would Zurvan be able to return those plucked from their own times back to where they came from?" She glanced at the time guardian for an answer.

Aleka hadn't answered, too deep in her concentration to say or add anything as she dove too deep to offer her own insight.

Though as suddenly as it happened, the vision ended and Aleka backed away from the heart slightly, looking tired and a bit out of it.

"Are you all right Aleka?" Karine asked slightly concerned.

The older woman shook her head. "Yeah..one second kick is a bitch like I thought it be. Never dove that far back from a object from another time." She took a breath as she stood up straighter. "I saw what seemed to be a old man with bright blue eyes working on the heart, a blue skinned male Oni was muttering something but no idea what they were saying. In the dark and in the background, there was golden eyes watching. I couldn't make it out, but they looked female to me and then the vision ended. Not sure if any of that means anything you guys because I'm just as confused and lost as I was before.."

When he heard Aleka announce her discovery, a small smirk curled in the corner of his mouth.

"We now know why, how, and where," he mulled aloud. "All we need now is to find when he affected his divergence."

And to do that, they needed Zurvan. So the course was clear.

"You did well."

They had faces to go along with The Doctor's. A blue-skinned Oni; perhaps this Marduk that Ishtar spoke of. The golden eyes, however, made her jaw clench. Ishtar's alternate was a looming threat on the immediate horizon. Her power was stated plainly, and even with the power of three Super Saiyans, their chances were incredibly slim. The Doctor would be a fool to ignore the chance to ally himself with someone of her caliber.

But what, if anything, could he possibly have to offer her? Parsley highly doubted that threatening her world would sway her one way or the other. Perhaps something material, or immaterial, such as knowledge or a location.

Or an object of some kind.

"Well done indeed," she spoke in commendation to Aleka. "I have a very strong feeling that the golden-eyed female you saw was Ishtar's alternate. We've learn of her and her immense power at the outset of this mission. As it stands now, I highly doubt we stand much of a chance against her, which makes her an excellent ally for The Doctor. The only question, if my hunch is right, is what has he offered her in exchange for her help."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"That might be wise." Meagan considered something before speaking, "I have not had a chance to interact with other Chromakai women on a personal level, despite my status as Guardian. I have read up on the biology of the process for my people, and as far as I can tell we don't develop extra muscles. One thing I have read is that the process often drains the energy from the mothers. By their final quadmester, many women are bedridden as a result. Hopefully that won't be the case for me."

"That sounds miserable," Sarada said plainly. She wasn't sure how it was for Saiyan women. She knew that when her mother was pregnant with her brother, she ate about twice as much as she normally did; which was saying a lot. Plus, she was also even more aggressive than usual; which explained why pregnant women were allowed to keep fighting.

"It's worth looking into when you get back home," she added. "Knowing what you're in for is always better than going in blind."

[Tami]

"That sounds miserable," Sarada said plainly. She wasn't sure how it was for Saiyan women. She knew that when her mother was pregnant with her brother, she ate about twice as much as she normally did; which was saying a lot. Plus, she was also even more aggressive than usual; which explained why pregnant women were allowed to keep fighting.

"It's worth looking into when you get back home," she added. "Knowing what you're in for is always better than going in blind."

"Agreed." Meagan then turned back to look at the gathered crowd.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Firstly, Ishtar didn't react as badly as Sarada feared she would when she put her family on blast the way she did. Though, if she had, she wouldn't have taken it back. It was all true, whether it was appropriate to say or not.

Secondly, she was still down in the dumps, understandably so. Still, there was nothing except a response. Ishtar couldn't even look her in the face while she spoke to her.

"So what?" she asked in response to this entire thing not being her problem. Or rather, shouldn't be her problem. It was a well established fact that Asha'rah and her idiocy fucked the entire universe up. It fell on Ishtar to unfuck it, yet Sarada wasn't having that. Not only was Ishtar her mate, but this was her home. "Just because I had nothing to do with it doesn't mean I'm just going to sit back and lazily live my life while knowing that things aren't the way they should be. More importantly, what kind of life-mate and friend would I be if I let you shoulder this burden by yourself?"

Again, she reached for Ishtar. This time, she touched her chin and raised her head so she could look at her. "You're going to share this burden with me and whoever else is willing to shoulder it, and we're going to set the universe right together. It doesn't matter who stands in our way; Sakin, Genesis, The Doctor, whoever. We'll cut them all down and send them straight to hell."

In the face of what was arguably one of the bleakest situations -- if not the most giving it was the contributing cause for the ones to follow in the 100,000 years to follow -- Ishtar had seen in all her years of watching civilizations die out; Sarada's response was merely: 'so what ?'. With only a few words added after the fact to reinforce her aforementioned commitment.

Never mind that it wasn't her -- or 'their' -- problem.

Never mind they had come so close to dying multiple times, and how some of the ones they knew had; and would likely face, and potentially succumb to their own mortality many more times should they follow this dismal path forward. To say nothing of the other issues, and risks. Yet all the same ... So what. Like that, as if it was just that simple.

And for an instant, Ishtar couldn't help but wonder if it was.

So when Sarada leaned in and tilted her head up so they could look each other in the face, Ishtar opened her mouth and muttered softly, though not unkindly. "... infuriating." It really was. How her love was so charismatic, and nonchalant; especially in the face of things one realistically shouldn't have been. To say nothing at all of how stubborn Sarada could be.

At the same time however, it was certainly one of the reasons that made her such a compelling ruler.

When it came to moments like this however, it made it extremely hard to not smile and go along; and after a few seconds Ishtar -- despite how she currently felt -- did at least the former before repeating herself a little louder. "Infuriating ... and yet I suppose it cannot be helped, getting you to change your mind ... though it still does not address the problems as I laid them out. Especially in regard to immediate future." She said then, softly. "As we are now, all that waits for us is Death in the form of my Alternate; should the Sheriff be believed."

A thing itself that weight almost as heavy as the weight of Asha'rah's sins. An alternate self ... Ishtar's alternate self. Seduced by the Destruction that coursed through her veins for a reason the Oni was not wholly sure of, but knew could be little less than the loss of someone she held dear. Which touched an underlying fear within Ishtar, herself.

"Which is not something I can bear happening, to you. So what ... options are left to us, then ?"

[Miburo]

Avoca's aloofness had been more lackadaisical than anything else, but it also sucked that she didn't know anyone. She could have - and probably should have - floated around and introduced herself, but eh. Why bother when she was likely never going to see these people again? There was no point.

Someone bellowed that he had knocked up his mate. That was nice, she guessed. There was other stuff going on, but she didn't care enough to bother listening for anything more than a passing understanding.

Ugh. Parsley's still standing there listening to that guy, she thought as she watched Parsley pay attention to Wilhelm and whatever the hell he was talking about.



"Huh? The hell's he screeching about?" He was Nevadian... and that ship she arrived on - the one that crash landed in the middle of an ocean - was Nevadian in make.

...Oh.

Oh ****.

"Hey," she called out as she approached Held. "That piece of **** ship that was docked on Vocado a few days ago. Was that yours?"

Held stopped in the middle of his wailing, his thoughts disrupted by the unfamilar voice and the absolute Heresy she dared speak towards him.

Slowly, he craned his neck, his expression blank and emotionless as he turned to the voice, clearly devoid of all taste and intellect.

He observed her, and swiftly realized he had no idea who the hell she was. What she was, seemed obvious enough, her tail wrapped around her waist like so many of her kind seemed to prefer.

"...Great. Another one." Held muttered to himself, "I'm half surprised Sarada hasn't cut out the finesse work and colonized the planet already..."

But that was neither here nor there.

"I don't really rely on Saiyan opinions for technological assessments." Held replied, his ire more than obvious.

It didn't require much for the Nevadian to piece together a picture of what had transpired. This woman was aware the ship was on Vocado not too long ago. The woman was obviously on Vacado. The ship--as much as it could be called a ship--was now here on Earth, and more specifically the Lookout, as was the woman. It was far too much of a coincidence for there to not be any connection.

"Should I assume you're the person I'm billing for this travesty?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Held stopped in the middle of his wailing, his thoughts disrupted by the unfamilar voice and the absolute Heresy she dared speak towards him.

Slowly, he craned his neck, his expression blank and emotionless as he turned to the voice, clearly devoid of all taste and intellect.

He observed her, and swiftly realized he had no idea who the hell she was. What she was, seemed obvious enough, her tail wrapped around her waist like so many of her kind seemed to prefer.

"...Great. Another one." Held muttered to himself, "I'm half surprised Sarada hasn't cut out the finesse work and colonized the planet already..."

But that was neither here nor there.

"I don't really rely on Saiyan opinions for technological assessments." Held replied, his ire more than obvious.

It didn't require much for the Nevadian to piece together a picture of what had transpired. This woman was aware the ship was on Vocado not too long ago. The woman was obviously on Vacado. The ship--as much as it could be called a ship--was now here on Earth, and more specifically the Lookout, as was the woman. It was far too much of a coincidence for there to not be any connection.

"Should I assume you're the person I'm billing for this travesty?"

Avoca was taken aback by this... this unicorn jockey's insolence. Not because he dared insinuate that she and her fellow Saiyans were too stupid to properly appraise the merits and quality of any given bit of technology, but rather because he had the audacity to blame her for his ship's malfunction.

"Take your bill and shove it. It's not my fault your ship fell out of the sky," she retorted, offended that he would even consider that a possibility. "It broke the atmosphere and then just died." She shrugged. "The only one with a right to be pissed is me. Not only did I almost die in that death trap, but you have shitty taste in snacks. I'm half surprised I didn't find a carrot in there."

[MrSandman]

"I appreciate it, Karine." Ishtar said as she slipped away, "take care."



Follow Lillet did, and as Ishtar trudged toward the showers, the young mage wasted no time speaking her mind ... and it seemed a great deal had changed since they had last spoken; though in the end it seemed to all be centered around the promise made between the two. Which itself was a laudable thing, as subject to change as the mind of mortals were.

Hm.

The mention of a familiar was cause for a raised eyebrow, but as she was now Ishtar did not see fit to respond to anything offered until a direct question was asked in tandem with an apology. So Ishtar slowed enough to turn, and offer a profound shrug, before continuing on toward the end destination. "Yes, you are rambling. Nerves I surmise, which is hardly a thing to apologize for. As to the question ... Yes. Though everyone has at some point or another. Such is hardly uncommon. One would hope you are taking this somewhere."

".....Ah...Well...." At the moment of actually delivering on the point, the young mage appeared to find herself tongue tied. ".....Well....not really....its just.....smalltalk I suppose. I had some rather troubling stuff happen recently.....and the worst of it involved some shady stuff in out on the fringes. Real creepy darkness type stuff. Then there's my eyes......Do you know what Mystic Eyes are?"

The Mage paused, gave her eyes a rub and moved closer...directing Ishtars attention to her right eye specifically. The oni would notice a odd discoloration in her iris, it had it almost shimmering quality when examining up close.

"....Its not as impressive as it sounds......when I focus, I can see magic. Helena called it Ambient Etheric Visualization, but its just magic eyes. When someone casts a spell I can see the forces at work, or when someone has magic cast on something...or a ritual....anything like that. Its not something I ever bothered to use in the past, didn't really know it was anything special...or what it was, until Helena told me about it. But ever since I started using it I've seen some...things. Scary things....the "look back at me" kinda scary things. Thankfully I have a really good bodyguard these days.........speaking of which, you have to meet her when your done your bath. You two might get along, seeing as your both......well........Oni."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"Agreed." Meagan then turned back to look at the gathered crowd.

" Meagan I never had to carried my children before the were born , my late husband did all the work, but I understand what have a child is like. My husband had to watch over , feed and take care of my children while they were inside him until the hatch and until the became young Toadians. It wasn't easy task for my late husband, and he would complain to me constantly. However when I saw my childrens' faces and hold one of them in my arms for the first time it was very heart warming experience," Althena said.

[KingofPie]

Blizzar blinked as the Chief situated himself, standing atop his desk once more, both Deputy Chiefs at his side. A golf-ball sized lump had appeared to grown atop the Chief's cranium where he had hit his head. A fact that Blizzar couldn't help but question, considering he was fairly certain that whatever the chief was made from was entirely synthetic...wasn't he? Such questions are better left unanswered, perhaps.

"We've just received the Commissioner's orders, Blizzar," Stragge spoke sternly. "I pray you have the utmost success in performing your duty," she stated, almost as if it pained her. "Remember, if Jinzi should come to harm, it's on your head."

"...Thank you, Deputy Chief," Blizzar responded, holding back a sneer.

Chief Durive glanced towards the other Deputy Chief, Flasshu, before hopping on his shoulder and whispering something in his ear. Flasshu folded his arms and nodded, before turning to glance back at Blizzar, his face unreadable due to the mask concealing it.

"The Chief would just like to congratulate you on a job well done so far, in protecting Earth's and by extension the Galaxy's best interes-......" Flasshu continued growing more and more inaudible with each word, resulting his message becoming a garbled mumble.

"Er...sir? I...I can't-," Blizzar attempted to interject.

"....." Flasshu, held out a finger to indicate that Blizzar shouldn't interrupt.

A tried and true master of the field of espionage, Flasshu had grown, perhaps, far too accustomed to subterfuge, often resulting in being nigh impossible for him to relay direct orders in person. Still, he was a master at his craft and managed to get the point across in other ways.

Durive certainly didn't seem to think so, glaring at Flasshu and preparing to slap him across the face with a stapler. Fortunately for his deputy, the diminutive Durive decided against it. Instead he waited for Flasshu to finish, before hopping on Stragge's shoulders next, this time whispering in her ear.

"Ah!" Stragge nodded. "The Chief just remembered! He has to important things you should know before we sign off."

At this Blizzar became more alert. This was....a tiring conversation as reports to the Chief often were. But Blizzar had long since learned that he could garner the teensiest bit of valuable information from even the most obtuse conversations. However...as the Chief began to walk out of view, only to return, dragging a miniature xylophone across his desk, the Arcosian's heart began to sink into the pit of his stomach.

"Ah, I'm afraid I don't understand," Blizzar chuckled nervously.

"The Chief has been working very hard to perfect this piece. Consider it an honor that you have to privilege to hear it before he relays this information," Stragge smirked smugly as she set up a stand before the Chief and Flasshu placed a single sheet of music atop it.

The Chief drew a pair of mallets and immediately began to violently smash them against the keys. No rhyme or reason, simply a cacophony of noise.

"...while you perform, I think I will-" Blizzar attempted to object.

"No!" both deputy chiefs shouted at once.

"I'll still be here!" Blizzar assured. "I'm simply going to-"

"You must stay!" Stragge ordered. "The Chief has spent night and day, contemplating how to craft this masterpiece!"

"But, at any moment, there could-"

"So many months. So much effort, but he's finally don-...." Flasshuu murmured, shaking a fist of triumph in the air.

Blizzar grumbled to himself, sat down and watched, continuing to contemplate his choices in life as he hoped the Chief's 'performance' would not be a long one.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

In the face of what was arguably one of the bleakest situations -- if not the most giving it was the contributing cause for the ones to follow in the 100,000 years to follow -- Ishtar had seen in all her years of watching civilizations die out; Sarada's response was merely: 'so what ?'. With only a few words added after the fact to reinforce her aforementioned commitment.

Never mind that it wasn't her -- or 'their' -- problem.

Never mind they had come so close to dying multiple times, and how some of the ones they knew had; and would likely face, and potentially succumb to their own mortality many more times should they follow this dismal path forward. To say nothing of the other issues, and risks. Yet all the same ... So what. Like that, as if it was just that simple.

And for an instant, Ishtar couldn't help but wonder if it was.

So when Sarada leaned in and tilted her head up so they could look each other in the face, Ishtar opened her mouth and muttered softly, though not unkindly. "... infuriating." It really was. How her love was so charismatic, and nonchalant; especially in the face of things one realistically shouldn't have been. To say nothing at all of how stubborn Sarada could be.

At the same time however, it was certainly one of the reasons that made her such a compelling ruler.

When it came to moments like this however, it made it extremely hard to not smile and go along; and after a few seconds Ishtar -- despite how she currently felt -- did at least the former before repeating herself a little louder. "Infuriating ... and yet I suppose it cannot be helped, getting you to change your mind ... though it still does not address the problems as I laid them out. Especially in regard to immediate future." She said then, softly. "As we are now, all that waits for us is Death in the form of my Alternate; should the Sheriff be believed."

A thing itself that weight almost as heavy as the weight of Asha'rah's sins. An alternate self ... Ishtar's alternate self. Seduced by the Destruction that coursed through her veins for a reason the Oni was not wholly sure of, but knew could be little less than the loss of someone she held dear. Which touched an underlying fear within Ishtar, herself.

"Which is not something I can bear happening, to you. So what ... options are left to us, then ?"

Sarada admittedly hadn't thought about the immediate future as counting towards Ishtar's dread and overwhelmed state. Her alternate was immensely powerful, with a battle power of 10M, if Sheriff Zaofan was to be believe. She didn't think he had a reason to lie about it, so she took his words at face value.

Still, she was a Super Saiyan, the most powerful currently - which, to be fair, only consisted of herself, Totoma, and her sister. She was certain to have gotten much stronger since the tournament began, so her natural power combined with her bond with Ishtar, combined with her golden aura, perhaps she came the closest to matching up with Ishtar, Goddess of Ruination.

She hoped so. Her blood was starting to boil just thinking about fighting someone that strong. But, the consequence of losing was death, and she didn't want to put Ishtar through that. Losing a bonded lover for a second time... No.

Sarada sat back, and pulled Ishtar with her so she could hold her in her arms. "We finish saving your father," she started in answer. "That's the most important thing. Every enemy we've faced has been more powerful than us. And every last one of them fell because we fought as a team. That's how we beat your alternate, as a team." Though Ishtar couldn't see, Sarada smirked. "It's helps that I'm now a Super Saiyan. And now that we're together again, I'm even stronger."

[Miburo]

Avoca was taken aback by this... this unicorn jockey's insolence. Not because he dared insinuate that she and her fellow Saiyans were too stupid to properly appraise the merits and quality of any given bit of technology, but rather because he had the audacity to blame her for his ship's malfunction.

"Take your bill and shove it. It's not my fault your ship fell out of the sky," she retorted, offended that he would even consider that a possibility. "It broke the atmosphere and then just died." She shrugged. "The only one with a right to be pissed is me. Not only did I almost die in that death trap, but you have shitty taste in snacks. I'm half surprised I didn't find a carrot in there."

Held opened his mouth to speak, but paused, disregarding the Saiyans impolite tone, focusing on her words.

"...Well, I guess that would make sense." He muttered to himself, rubbing his chin, "The ship probably does have enough horsepower to break through the chaff, but since nothing else on this planet seemed immune to it, I suppose it wouldn't be either."

This Doctor....I'll have to make him pay for this inconvenience. Then again, Jinzi is one of my best friends...I never thought about how there is a version out there that's my enemy...I guess it's because we've never spoken face to face...

"I suppose I might have jumped to conclusions." Held said at last, turning to Avoca, "My apologies, for both that, and your poor palate. It must be an unhappy life you lead, to not be able to appreciate the finer tastes in life."

He shrugged.

"That said, I suppose we can press that aside for a moment. I assume you stowed away on my ship for a reason--You'll be billed for the trip, by the way--or was this some sort of pleasure cruise that brought you here?"

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Meanwhile on a dead and desolate planet. Earl is next to his ship with his specter Shining Star as he connects GP HQ. " HQ this is Lieutenant Stratovarius reporting in, so far I have not been able to locate the whereabouts of the parasites. Several dead planets I have investigated have been a bust, including the one I'm on right now," Lieutenant Stratovarius said.


Shining Star looks around as he starts kicking the dirt , " So are we done here Earl ?" Shining Star said.


" Yeah we're done here. So should I head back to HQ or continue my investigation on the whereabouts of the parasites? " Lieutenant Stratovarius said as he answers both Shining Star, and GP HQ.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Parsley shared neither Jinzi's excitement nor his confidence in GP technology. "I'd rather have a backup, just in case. If I'm not mistaken, Sarada also has a ship on her person. Plus, there's that blood magic portal that Ishtar can create."

Backups were good and offered peace of mind; especially when dealing with technology that may not work as intended."

“It’s about speed. The new GP ship is light gears faster than anything around.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Meagan's eyes went wide, "So this means we can launch a direct assault?"





She listened but went quiet. There was a decision she needed to make and make quickly.

“Once I’m done correlating data, yes, we can go after it.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

More fragments gathered, and a greater piece of the whole began to form. There at the point of beginning, when the intention to create an enlightened universe, she brought them in. Vanity.

"Overtly, they didn't lie," he grunted "And when there was no room left in Hell for invaders, traitors and Destroyers, they sought to claw their way out by any means possible." The world shown in the archive was a grave showered in the detritus of their efforts. They had tread there, and she herself saw it.

When they went to Terra the loam was still loose over the Gods' buried mistakes, and the Namekian, Hammer rose from his shallow grave. He knew Asha'rah would indeed be remiss to forget this. Folding his arms before his chest, Ochazuke pressed a harsh exhale through gritted teeth.

"But where are they now? Their colossal works to inspire dread are all that are left. Nothing besides that remains." The small shudder that had taken his limbs soon had ceased as he looked to the Goddess.





"They had been judged accordingly by the deeds rendered by their own hand. If they squandered their second chance, let that fall upon their heads as well."

With a sharp tilt of his head, he pulled his view from Asha'rah to the more immediate concerns. "Like any other people, perhaps they are not a collective monolith. The most visible are always the most atrocious. But the matters of dead men will have to wait."

They had a name, a location. One fixed point.

In the centre of many radial divergences.

"It may not just be a question of where, Parsley. He's been pulling his forces from divergent futures."

The problem in tracing the Doctor with all they had available to them would be quite self-evident to those who peered beyond the First Race's fragmentes pieces.

"He himself seeks to usurp Time. If he struck at us within our present, it would be a simple matter to find him. But he stands outside space, outside of the moment."

The nexus of all possibly futures, reaching back to the past.



When he heard Aleka announce her discovery, a small smirk curled in the corner of his mouth.

"We now know why, how, and where," he mulled aloud. "All we need now is to find when he affected his divergence."

And to do that, they needed Zurvan. So the course was clear.

"You did well."



When the Namekian returned to the Lookout plaza, Ochazuke greeted him with a small tilt of his head. Days ago they met across the field of battle as enemies, until the truth came out. The Doctor struck him down once he had outlived his usefulness, and held him ransom to the hope of returning to the safety of his home.

"The Doctor promised you mystic knowledge, didn't he," he said. "That was a bit more than the way back to your family."

As they saw that day, the briefest hesitation to take another step beyond was all it took for Pike to make his turn. Who was to say if the Doctor's promise loosed its grip entirely?

Pike nodded, but then gestures to a small sack he was carrying.

“Evangeline was kind enough to gift me a few tomes. A thank you without cost.”

He shakes his head.

“I can’t say I’m sorry enough. I can only move forward and help you stop him from doing this again.”