You sigh. "My family has more secrets than just ki, Maya," you say, shaking your head. "I mean, I'm keeping you a secret, but I keep other people's secrets too. They're not my secrets; I can't help you learn them. And if I taught you sensing, you might be able to find out about some of those secrets. It's not my choice." You shrug. "Honestly, it's my Dad's choice, but you want to be a secret from him, too. If you let me tell him about you, then he could decide if you can know, but..."
Maya frowns. "You mean there are more people in your family who know how to use ki?"
Wow, she came to that conclusion in seconds. Your phrasing isn't subtle, you knew that Maya was going to realize from what you've said that there are other ki users, but she jumped there really fast. You blush a bit, reminding yourself to stay on topic.
You shake your head. "I can't say anything else."
Maya frowns unhappily. "I don't wanna tell you- your Dad, Karen," she says. "He'll say I'm being stu- stupid. Just like every- eve-everyone else." She huddles s a bit.
Your eyes widen. "What? No, Maya! Dad wouldn't do that! He uses ki too, remember? He knows there's nothing wrong with it. He won't yell at you."
"Everyone do- does."
"But he's like us!" you say, taking a steps towards her. "He's stronger than either of us, and he knows what it's like! He's not going to say you're lying. He knows that it's the truth."
Maya turns away a bit. "I..." She swallows. And then, barely audible, she says, "I- it's scary."
"He's not going to be mean," you say.
"A- are you su- sure?"
You think about centuries of Lords and Ladies maintaining the Masquerade. You think of dozens of orchestrated marriages. You think of a handful of humans outright threatened into silence. You think of all the terror of your people brought to bear on your friend.
You think of Dad, patient and wise but on certain blind spots so very impulsive.
[ ] "Yes."
[ ] "Maybe."
-[ ] Elaborate.
[ ] "No."
THIS VOTE IS NOT YET CLOSED.
Please review the following conditions before voting.
Be aware that those votes with quotes around them represent the exact phrasing Kakara will use if those votes win. Additionally, there are no write-ins permitted for "Yes" or "No" votes; either you are expressing certainty, or you're voting "Maybe." On that note, please no write-ins other than where specified above for this vote.
Kakara, IC, does not believe that this is a trigger issue of her father's.
Kakara will not consider revealing the Masquerade to Maya as a part of this vote so soon after a prior vote declining the opportunity to.
Kakara does not think it wise to give anything other than a direct response to the question asked, and thus will not.
We at last come to the end of the line. Thanks to making the issue of "further training will require my Dad's knowledge and consent," more unexpectedly immediate than it previously was, Maya is considering the issue, and would like your direct opinion on the topic. Due to the advanced state of emotional frailty the means of presenting this to her has placed her in, no Deceit rolls will be required for any of the above options. Trait Emerging...
Enjoy, everybody!
"Yes, I'm sure," you say, letting all of those considerations fade away. Yes, those are tradition, and yes, Dad screwed up once...but you remember the other things he's done, too. Dad's a good man. He'll be good to Maya.
And to be honest, it looks like she needs it. You wince. What you said about why you couldn't teach her sensing was honest, but also a little bit manipulative. Maya looks really scared and very unsure of herself right now. You go and give her a hug. She returns it, and if she grips hard enough to pulverize a mountain or two, what's the harm?
"...okay," she whispers, burying her face in your shirt. "Okay." You feel the fabric getting a bit wet. "Ju- just pro- promise you'll be there?"
"Yes," you say. "Of course, Maya."
"Do we ha- have to do it now?" she whispers, clenching her grip.
"No," you say. "We have a little while. I'll tell him this weekend. Okay?"
You feel her nod. You continue to hug her for quite some time, letting her calm down and believe that it's really going to be alright.
And in the meantime, you send out the news.
One, Three? Dunno if you're busy-
This is Three, I am, catch me up later. Sorry, gotta go!
This is One. Dad's just letting me read right now. Why, what's up?
You take a deep breath. Well, Maya asked me about ki sensing...
* * *
Right on the edge of the clones' maximum separation distance, another you -- Number One -- freezes for just a fraction of a second.
You then go right back to note-taking in your book, thinking over the news from Two.
Your gaze flickers up to Dad where he's sitting in the corner. He's reading something that looks like an investigation report -- maybe from the Peat investigation? Doesn't matter, really, but you're curious.
At the very least, pondering the issue of how to break the news about Maya to him distracts you from the mind-numbing drudgery of delving into the finer points of Vegetan politics.
As with your Gokun education, your education on Clan Vegeta has proceeded onto a more in-depth tutelage following the basic grounding you received last year.
So far you just feel like you're learning about how little you know.
For one thing, your protocol lessons have been expanded. While before you thought you knew how it was proper for a Scion to act, now you're not so sure. Because while you heard about things like, "Lady Scion," and the proper way to bow or not bow, you're now coming to understand that you hadn't even started to learn them.
Namely, you're becoming aware that all the Vegetans who have called you "Lady Scion" are basically saying that they want you to start making babies as soon as you can so that you can take over from Dad.
You make a face, remembering that. You've always known that you'd need to give birth to the next Scion, but it's always been a long time away. You don't like being reminded that you'll be expected to do that. It sounds uncomfortable and gross and painful and- just urgh!
Although to be honest, the rest of what you're learning isn't that much better.
Vegetans are Exiles too. They're still saiyan. But getting so much into them has really been teaching you...
...they're a whole different people over there. In the past half a year you've discovered a dozen different ways in which you've insulted Head Raditz, over and over again, in a way that would be grounds for him to issue a challenge if things weren't so messed up. You've figured out that the way you act around Vegetans, while looking polite and friendly to you, is actually threatening to them because of how not done it is for nobility to chat casually with the lower classes.
What you've learned is that the Clan that your people make fun of for being stuffy and overly formal is actually comprised of some of the most tolerant individuals in the galaxy, who have been doing you a massive favor without even being asked by forgiving you your various social transgressions against them. They're being downright saintly. And all because you're from Clan Goku, and the Vegetans know you don't do that kind of stuff.
You honestly owe Head Raditz an apology. And you now know how to give it to him properly, too.
But ultimately, all of that is in the past. You have other things to worry about at the moment.
Namely: Two has just informed you that you have the responsibility of telling Dad about Maya, who Two has finally gotten to agree to opening up.
Communication and Intrigue Skills both improve by small amounts but do not level. Intrigue is about halfway there, Communication about an eighth.
Comprehensive knowledge of Vegetan Houses gained: you will reliably know the names, agendas, Heads, and Heirs of all Vegetan Houses.
Protocol Education Complete: You are now thoroughly schooled in the protocols of noble behavior in both Clans, and will automatically use such in its appropriate contexts. You will no longer take hidden penalties from Vegetans for failing to do so.
Trait Revealed and Developed: [Gokun Foreigner-->Knowledgeable Gokun Foreigner]
How do you tell your father about the situation with Maya?
[ ] Write-in.
THIS VOTE IS NOW CLOSED.
...and that's your lot.
An all write-in vote? Now that's just cruel.
I have no regrets.
Now, before we move on; I will include a lengthy moratorium on this vote, and encourage you all to make use of it to figure out what phrasing you want to use. In particular, consider what you're trying to accomplish in telling Berra about this; I know some people have very complicated feelings about him. I will be throwing out any votes posted before the end of the moratorium, so be aware. I know you were looking for this. Were you expecting delicious, tasty spoilers? Not this time~! XD
Clan Vegeta is much more formal than Clan Goku, and has a far greater emphasis on protocol and manners. They are used to the disparity and, while it does still offer a mechanical malus that Kakara has hitherto been unaware of, they don't hold it against Gokun in the long-term. In fact, they consider it rude to bring the issue up, which while polite is fairly counterproductive to actually solving the problem.
The long and short of your newly revealed and developed trait is that you'll stop unintentionally insulting Vegetans everywhere you go. This will reduce the malus to interactions with them. However, the fact that you know to do that much means they'll start holding you responsible for what things you do miss, which is why there's still a penalty at all. This will mostly color the tone and flavor or how I write-up failed rolls.
Enjoy!
This vote will not open until the update have been up for five hours.
[X] Plan The Whole Truth
-[X] Wait until the weekend, like we promised Maya. Make sure we aren't in Multiform at the time.
-[X] Ask Maya to wait outside while we talk to Dad
-[X] Tell Dad we have something important to discuss
-[X] Tell Dad that 6 months ago, our friend came to us and told us that she'd had "superpowers" for years, and that she knew we had them too - and proceeded to prove it by getting into a spar with us.
--[X] She knew we were like her from seeing us in a Garenhulder martial arts class - no-one who wasn't aware of the possibility noticed anything odd.
-[X] We were delighted, told her that Dad (and we only mentioned Dad, and not anything about Saiyans) had ki powers too, and that we should tell him - and we spooked her, since she's so shy.
-[X] We agreed to not immediately tell Dad, for three reasons :
--[X] We were certain that she'd agree to tell Dad eventually; Dad would find out anyway if she trained and her power level kept rising, since we told her you could sense ki. And we were right.
--[X] She'd kept these "superpowers" a secret for so long, there was no risk to the Masquerade.
--[X] "And also... she's my friend. She's incredibly shy, she suddenly opened up and told me her life story, but panicked when I started talking about how we should tell you, and made me promise to keep it a secret until she'd decided for herself one way or the other whether to tell you... and it was such a huge show of faith, I just couldn't say no."
-[X] We made sure she knew she absolutely had to keep this a secret - and if it looked like she might risk the Masquerade, we'd have told Dad then anyway.
-[X] She's incredibly talented - she had a power level of nearly 1000 when she told us, after not knowing what she was really doing in the woods for a few years. We agreed to train and supervise her, and she now has a power level of >70,000.
-[X] We discussed telling Dad again, and she agreed to do so - and now here we are.
-[X] Throughout all of this, show Dad carefully selected memories via telepathy, reinforcing/confirming our points.
-[X] If at any point Dad brings up the idea of "marrying her in", point out that as a potential heavyweight fighter we'd prefer that she be more closely tied to us than a random Saiyan husband.
Bait-and-Switch
Ultimately, you don't talk to Dad right that instant. You wait until the weekend, like you promised Maya. That seems like something pretty minor to worry about, but you're already feeling a little off about how you've handled this so far. Keeping a promise, no matter how small, feels important.
Maya comes over to your house -- officially, to play. But unofficially, it's to introduce your Dad to her and her abilities...once you share the truth with him.
"Wait here, okay?" you say, bringing Maya down into the basement. "I'm going to go tell Dad now."
Maya doesn't trust herself to speak, simply nodding and hugging herself. You hesitate, wondering if you should reassure her, and then shake your head, turning away to the stairs. There's not much you can say to make this feel better for her. Instead, you walk back upstairs, and go find your Dad. You find him in a chair in the living room with his eyes closed, relaxing after coming home from work.
...maybe this isn't the best time? you think, hesitating.
"I'm fine, Karen," he says without opening his eyes. "You can come over here."
You step forward with a sheepish grin. "I, uh, don't want to bother you..."
"It's fine," he says, opening his eyes and releasing a tiny surge of ki to recover his energy. "I'm not really tired. Just indulging myself. What's going on?"
Your smile vanishes. "I wanted to talk about something. It's important."
He blinks, focusing. "How important?" Do we need to talk silently? he asks.
"Very important," you say. Probably. It's not technically Masquerade stuff, but it's close, and we're not in the Hall or the middle of nowhere.
He nods. "Alright. Come on." He stands up and leads you to your parents' bedroom. What's going on, Kakara?
You swallow. Well, it's, um...first, it's not something new. This is something that's been happening.
Dad shoots you a look, but stays silent.
It started six months ago. One of my friends talked to me...and she told me that she had "superpowers."
Dad's eyes close and he nods. Maya.
Yes, exac- wait, what?!
You blink, jerking your head back in shock.
Kakara, you brought your friend over and immediately left her downstairs before coming to talk to me about something important. Of course it's about her. Dad gives you a mildly unimpressed look, and then shakes his head. But more to the point, I already know. I've known for months.
Your thoughts grind to a halt and your jaw drops. He KNOWS?!
H- How do you know?! you ask, stunned.
Kakara, sweetheart, I taught you everything you know about scheming, he says. I'm better than you. But more than that, you've been vanishing at regular intervals to the same spot for your training for months, with no special precautions taken to disguise where you were going. I followed you once after it had been going on for a few weeks because I was worried. Wasn't hard.
You flush, ducking your head. You hadn't thought you were that obvious.
Dad straightens in his seat. Now, I've been waiting very patiently for you to decide to tell me what's going on. Now that you're here, I'd like that explanation, young lady.
You swallow, nodding. You may be conspiring against him, but Dad is your Dad, and when he asks for an explanation he gets one, and quick.
Maya knew that I had "superpowers," too, you think. It's my fault, she figured it out from those sparring sessions. I wasn't too good at pretending to be as fragile as a human at first. And when she told me that she knew, she proved it by getting into a spar with me. I had to power up or she would have hurt me. You blink, and then add, Nobody else noticed, though! They didn't know what to look for anyway.
Dad leans back. And how did you handle this?
I drew her out to figure out her power level. One thousand, back then. Then I told her about you. I was excited, and I wanted to let her know that it wasn't just her and me. I didn't tell her about our people, though! She still thinks that I'm human.
You carefully neglect to mention that you let slip enough hints for her to figure out that there are other ki users a few days ago.
Deceit, Kakara vs. Berra [59 vs. ??]
Dad nods. Hm. Why reveal that much?
I wanted to get her to tell you about it, you say. But she tried telling her Mom when she first figured out her powers, and her Mom didn't believe her. Maya was scared you would do that too. I thought she might listen if I told her about you. You push your memory of Maya's story to him as evidence.
He blinks, disoriented by the flood of images. ...I see. She didn't agree?
She panicked. She's so shy. She begged me not to tell you. And I agreed. I had a reason, though! First, I was sure she'd tell you sooner or later. I told her that you could sense ki and you'd feel us eventually anyway since I was training her, so she knew it was only a matter of time. And I was right.
You square your jaw and look him right in the eye. You're not trying to antagonize him, but you were right. You're going to hold onto that.
Well-reasoned, he says, tilting his head. That said, training a human...
She's been keeping her secret for years! you object, tossing your head. There wasn't any risk to the Masquerade.
Self-esteem.
You blink. ...what?
She kept her secret because nobody believed her, and she didn't want to be disbelieved, he said. It's not something we Exiles think about, but Garenhulders often say that martial arts training is good for self-esteem. They're right; being stronger and more skilled allows a sense of agency, and boosts one's confidence. By training Maya, you've thus given her the tools to build herself up. It's now far more likely that she'll be willing to brave the momentary skepticism of others. All she needs is a moment's confidence to show somebody that she can bench a mountain. So, Kakara, no -- as far as the secret of ki goes, there absolutely is a risk to the Masquerade. That doesn't mean I disapprove. I feel you've managed the risk well. But there is incontestably a risk.
I made sure she knew she needed to keep it a secret, you protest. And I would have told you no matter what if it looked like she would be a risk!
Nevertheless, there is a risk, he says. You don't always have the chance to go elsewhere for help.
I do, you say. You pulse up to over a million units in a heartbeat, in demonstration.
He sighs. Let's not argue. Ultimately, nothing went wrong. That's what's important. Anything else?
You nod, looking down.
...she's my friend. She's incredibly shy, she suddenly opened up and told me her life story, but panicked when I started talking about how we should tell you. She made me promise to keep it a secret until she'd decided for herself one way or the other whether to tell you...and it was such a huge show of faith, I just couldn't say no.
After a moment, Dad's hand lands on your shoulder. You look up and see him smiling at you.
I understand, he says. And I'm proud of you, for being so loyal to your friend. This is a situation, I don't deny that, but I'm proud of you for keeping your word.
You blush, smiling. Thank you, Dad.
He squeezes and then sits back down. How have things been progressing? I mean, she's human, so there's a limit, but I'm curious.
You fidget. Um...about that. Maya is...special. I told you her power was one thousand when she told me. That was after she spent a few years in the woods fighting bears and training without really knowing what she was doing. Now. after I've been training her...
You lick your lips. Dad, Maya's power level is over seventy thousand now.
Dad blinks. I beg your pardon?
I said-
Seventy thousand?
She gets stronger really quickly.
Quickly?! Those are downright saiyan levels of training speed! Did somebody misplace a child under Masque somewhere?!
We could always ask a Sorcerer.
Dad slumps. We'll have to. If she's not a saiyan, then she's human -- probably the most powerful human mutant we have records of. I'll need to think about this. The odds of this...never mind. Anything else?
You shrug. Not really. I brought up telling you again earlier this week and she agreed. So...here we are.
So we are, he says. Okay. On balance, I think you handled this well, Kakara. I would have liked to have been in on this from the start, but I understand why you chose to hold back. Now the question becomes what is to be done about this.
He leans forward, steepling his fingers. To begin: there's no need to tell her about our true nature, I think. She believes us to be experienced humans; let her continue to think that. For that matter, if she does prove to be human, we should tell her how special she is. It gives us the excuse to be less notable than her. That alone is worth doing. I think the Masquerade can be preserved, even through this.
You frown, uncertain. A part of you had considered leaving your friend unaware of the Masquerade, but you had also weighed the possibility of letting her in on it. You're not even considering telling her?
What? No, of course not. We have held the Masquerade through three centuries of exile. It's a matter of survival, and exceptions are bad precedents to set. One exceptional girl is not going to change that. That said, she does present an opportunity. After all, we have our Masques. Dad leans forward, his eyes glittering in anticipation behind his hands. I once dreamed that our people could return to the stars. With this friend of yours running around, being visibly human, who would question our own existence? Your friend would be the perfect smoke screen for saiyans, under Masque, to emerge into the public eye.
* * *
You walk downstairs with Dad, a bit troubled with the conversation. It's not that you've decided firmly what you should do, but the way your Dad was talking wasn't exactly comforting.
You've learned to be very cautious when your father starts talking about past dreams.
As you reach the basement, you hear two voices.
"You're my sissy's friend?"
"Ye- yes."
"Oh. Okay. I'm Fee!"
"...Fee?"
"Uh huh!"
"That's a wei- we- weird name."
"S'not my real name, silly! That's Felicia! But that's long, so I'm Fee."
"...oh."
You step into the basement. Maya hasn't moved from her place, but now your sister, Fasha, is sitting next to her on the couch in her Masque. Your brother Endivan, also Masqued, is hiding behind her and occasionally peeking out at Maya.
As he enters the basement, Dad says, "Felicia, could you and Evan give us a moment?"
Your sister looks up and pouts. "But Daddy, I wanted to talk to Karen's friend!"
"Later." Dad looks steadily at your sister, and she wilts.
"Okay," she mutters. "C'mon, E."
She hops to her feet, tugging your littlest brother along with her.
For a moment, the three of you remaining stare at each other in silence.
"Hello, Maya," says Dad, his voice softening. "Karen told me about your secret."
She looks back at him, frozen.
"I'm glad you decided that you can trust me," he says. "This is a big secret, and I know it means a lot to you."
At that she manages a quick nod.
"Well, I promise you've come to the right place." He steps forward and goes to a knee in front of her. He holds out his hand. "You can trust me, Maya. Let me show you about us."
He nods. "True." His fingers rise to his forehead, and he grins. "But I taught her."
You lay a hand on his arm, waiting for the jump.
Maya looks at you before she responds. And seeing you going along with this, she reaches out and takes your Dad's hand.
vip
Maya yelps as you all suddenly find yourselves floating in the air over a frozen expanse of ice. She falls for a moment, wildly waving her arms before reasserting her control.
"Welcome to the...south pole?" you guess, focusing in on the wildlife below.
"Well, a few kilometers north," says Dad, shrugging.
Maya gapes. "That was fast!" She looks at your Dad in awe. "How strong are you?!"
"That wasn't super speed," says Dad, winking. "That was outright teleportation. And it's just one of the things this world of ours has to offer." He folds his arms. "As for how strong I am...you first. My daughter tells me you've come quite far in a very short amount of time. Show me."
"What?!" You start forward. "Dad, we're not shielded here!"
He fixes you with a look. "And why should that matter? Is there somebody she needs to hide from, now that you've told me?"
You stare at him for a moment, bewildered...
Intrigue, DC 65: Pass
...and then it clicks.
This is a power play. Dad has been the only sitting Lord ever since the Sealing. And now a matter truly deserving the attention of a Lord has arisen...with only him to rule on it. And the first anybody else is going to know of it is going to be the beacon of Maya's power, erupting into being over the South Pole as Lord Berra Goku hands down his unilateral and absolute judgment on this matter regarding the Masquerade in full view of your entire society.
And as you think on it, this is perfectly legal. Even neutered as Gokun nobility is, the Lord Goku has the right to rule on matters of the Masquerade, which this unquestionably is. This doesn't change anything on paper.
But it will remind everybody, from the most loyal Stauber to the most dissident Peat, that they are ruled by a Lord, and that their Lord has power over them. And as your Dad has sometimes told you during your lessons, from perception flows power. This won't change anything directly...but it will let your Dad make a push.
[ ] Let it happen. Your Clan is barely ruled in the first place. It's not even controlled enough for the Lord to formally take steps to address the population explosion it's experiencing. There needs to be more central authority.
[ ] Stop this.
-[ ] Write-in how.
-[ ] Write-in why.
For the above vote, all votes for "stop this" will be counted together regardless of sub-vote splitting. The sub-votes will each be counted by line, not together; i.e., the leading "how" vote will win regardless of any "why" votes, and vice-versa.
THIS VOTE IS NOW CLOSED.
Many people were convinced that Berra would pull something dickish. Some believed he'd be very nice. Nobody guessed that he'd latch onto this current course of action with both hands. But hey, to those who called his Atoner trait coming into play, you were right! Kinda.
Before anybody asks, Berra's failure analysis of your attempts to hide your training is not a criticism of how you the players handled the secrecy of Maya's training. I'm sure you all recall that there wasn't in fact any opportunity to weigh in on that. No, that's just the literary representation of that natural eight (out of a hundred) Kakara rolled on the Intrigue check.
This update is brought to you by mobile. Mobile is suffering. (Applies transitive property) This update was brought to you by suffering. This was very frustrating. But hopefully worthwhile!
The Lords Goku have held no power in their own Clan ever since the Lord's Rebellion. But now Berra is taking advantage of Maya's discovery in an attempt to win some power back for the position. With the invasion looming ever-nearer, will Kakara let this go through, or choose to stand in her father's way, at last provoking the confrontation that has been building between them ever since the Sealing? Next time, on Dragon Ball AE!
[X] Let it happen. Your Clan is barely ruled in the first place. It's not even controlled enough for the Lord to formally take steps to address the population explosion it's experiencing. There needs to be more central authority.
Vision Interrupt
You fold your arms, leaning back. It's not that you can't see any way for this to go wrong. You can. A part of you is very vocal about all the ways this could be a bad idea. But ultimately, taken as a whole...you don't think this'll be a problem. The Clan needs more authority. The Lords have ruled in name only ever since Oni. And you know that your Dad will use that power responsibly.
...and some day you'll rule this Clan. You want that authority, too.
Trait Gained: Ambitious.
So you lean back and watch as Maya gather the confidence to fire up her aura, and-
-sudden pressure-
-a great tide welling up behind your mind-
-a sudden, choked sound as you clutch at your skull-
-a sudden rush of Sight washing you away despite your greatest efforts to resist and carrying you back into the-
* * *
Gone.
* * *
"Stubborn fool."
You open your eyes on the vistas of the past, and the ruined hellscape of a dead planet. Shattered rocks drift in every direction with cherry-red magma interspersed. Great oceans turn to spray and clouds before dissipating entirely. A great silence rings in your ki senses.
"You wasted much effort on this...display. And yet, for nothing. As it should be."
You turn, expecting Freeza, perhaps. Instead...a statue.
You blink, and then look again. And then you lurch back, gasping in horror as you recognize Jiichan's features on the statue's face.
This is Earth, in the moment after its destruction.
And that figure, hanging in the vacuum beyond your grandpa's fossilized corpse, is the Enemy.
Your heart seizes in terror. The blood all drains from your face. You freeze, hoping and praying as you've never done that it won't see you...
...and it doesn't. Instead, it simply drifts around Gohan's statue, inspecting it from all angles with a dispassionate air. It doesn't see you. It can't, of course. This is a normal vision, not a Sightsee. You're not here. And so, your chest loosens, and you are struck with realization.
The Enemy is standing right in front of you.
For a single moment, you consider what to do. For a moment longer, you try to make yourself do it. Willpower Check, DC 75: Pass
You succeed.
You begin to slowly drift forward, hoping to get a glimpse of your Enemy's face. This is an unprecedented opportunity. You don't know why past Seers have never been able to view this moment, but you're going to seize your chance while it's here.
As you approach the Enemy, you take the chance to observe what you can. It's a hooded figure, for one thing, swathed in black robes that block out most of the detail you might hope to glean. Even the hands you see poking out of its sleeves are gloved. You can tell that it's a lot shorter than you expected. Abnormally so, to the point where you suspect an alien. Then again, history alone tells you size isn't everything. Some of the direst villains in history were tiny. Makes sense that the greatest of them all would be. That alone doesn't tell you much, though.
But the voice...that's a male voice.
That on its own tells you little, but it at least narrows it down to humanoid aliens at the most bizarre. Something that talks with a male voice. And that voice is cold.
"Let's see what fading scraps you have to give me," says the Enemy, reaching out and laying its hand on the statue.
You ignore the affront to Gohan's dignity and focus on the voice. The voice is...dead. It's the best word for it. It issues in a sibilant hiss of a monotone, every word oozing with menace from the sheer fact of the nonchalance displayed by the speaker as a planet dies in the background. No intonation. No variation. Dead and whispered and cold.
"All gives way into nothingness, in the end," says the Enemy, its arm still on Jiichan's shoulder. "Your escaped kin will be no different. I will find them. But first...ah. Your bloodline has sorcerous potential. Not much. Pathetic scraps. But some. That will be addressed. More troublesome...ah. Kannassan Sight. What unfortunate fool was cursed with that, in your past? No matter. I will take measures. Your people will find no warning, before the end comes."
The Enemy gives Gohan's corpse a gentle push that sends it tumbling through the vacuum of space, turning away to gaze off at the distant stars. "This is only the beginning. None of you will escape me. Eventually, all gives way before the Void."
Finally, you draw around to the Enemy's front, and drift down below it. Shivering in anticipation and fear, you peek up into the shadows beneath its- Willpower Check vs (Enemy ??? Check) DC 142: No
You scream.
You don't catch the slightest glimpse of what lies beyond the hood, but the moment your eyes try to probe that space, mindless horror overwhelms you. You shriek in insane terror, drifting through space without any control whatsoever. You can feel you mind splintering under the strain-
Easy now, girl. No need to go quite that far yet. Do yourself an injury, that way.
The pressure abates, and you gasp at the sudden relief. As your sight trickles back to you, you look around at-
Where am I?
A simple, safe place, says the voice. I am giving you time to recover from the shock you just experienced.
You look around, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. Who are you?
Just an old man, looking after some people in need.
You frown. That's not an answer!
No, it is. It just isn't a terribly good one.
You cross your arms, still scowling.
You have a long ways to go before you need to worry about what's under that hood, child. And perhaps further still before you can. Don't strain yourself reaching for it.
Who are you?!
A friend, in a way.
Stop being weird! Just tell me!
You hear a sigh. Always so demanding. Your poor father. I think you should feel well enough, now. I wish you good fortune, young Scion. Goodbye.
Wait, I still wanted to-
* * *
Back.
* * *
Your eyes flutter open.
You're laying on your back. That much you can tell.
The rest, is white.
That's literally all you can see. What the heck? What happened? Did you go blind while you were passed out, or-
You shift, and the white crunches, shifting a bit. It clicks.
Snow. I must have fallen out of the sky.
"Karen!"
You blink, hearing your Dad's voice.
"Karen, can you hear me?"
You frown. You're buried under quite a bit of snow. You probably punched through when you fell.
"HaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
WHUMP
You flare your aura and fire up to the highest power level you've displayed around Maya, blasting snow away from you in all directions and reasserting your flight so that you don't fall again. You ascend into the sky as snow immediately rushes back in to fill the hole you've made. "I'm here!"
vip
You spin as your Dad uses Instant Transmission to pop in behind you, having locked onto your signal with Maya in tow. No sooner do they settle than Maya lunges at you, catching you in a desperate hug.
"Ack! Maya, air!"
Your friend immediately backs off, babbling apologies and wringing her hands. She looks torn between tears and flushing, and overall looks very scared.
Dad swoops in at eye level. "Karen, what happened? What kind of vision was that?"
You blink, shocked and slightly betrayed that he's mentioning that in front of Maya without asking you.
He frowns at you, seeing the look. "Karen, your eyes turned white right in front of us and you fell over a kilometer before vanishing from sight. I had to tell her; she was on the verge of a panic attack."
You look at Maya, who's still looking miserable. You drift over to her and give her a more gentle hug. She accepts it without a word.
Dad sighs, releasing some tension. "So, what happened?"
The following votes will tallied by line, not by plan. You don't have to vote for all three items if you don't wish.
What do you say?
[ ] Tell them.
[ ] Tell Dad only, later.
[ ] Tell Maya only, later.
[ ] Keep it to yourself.
[ ] Write-in.
Going forward, who will you tell?
[ ] Some other people.
-[ ] Write-in all who apply as a series of discrete sub-votes, like this:
-[ ] Grandma
-[ ] The Senzus.
-[ ] Fennella.
-[ ] etc.
[ ] Nobody.
Will you still refrain from opposing Dad's attempts to reveal Maya to the Exiles at large?
[ ] Yes (allow the reveal).
[ ] No (object to the reveal).
THESE VOTES ARE NOW CLOSED.
Trait Gained (Ambitious): You have grand dreams, and want power some day in order to achieve them. You will push yourself to fulfill these goals. Gain +1 yearly action and a passive +5 to Willpower. Slight vote weighting on options that lead to you gathering more power.
It begins.
I actually hadn't planned to reveal a damn thing about the Enemy until/unless the players ran headfirst into it. But thanks to the wonders of bullshit Sight, here we are! I hope you've enjoyed it.
And have fun figuring out all the hints scattered throughout.
I'll certainly have fun watching. Enjoy, everybody!
You glance between Dad and Maya for a moment before settling on your friend. You grimace. "I...Saw something that's one of those secrets that I kinda can't tell you about I'm sorry I know you want to know but I can't." You devolve into a mumbling rush at the end, giving her an apologetic look. She still flinches and looks down at her feet.
You yell at yourself mentally before sending Dad a poke. I Saw the Enemy.
Dad immediately goes pale. Is it coming?
You shake your head slightly. No. It was the Death of Earth.
Dad relaxes again, glancing at Maya. Tell me everything. Later. "Oh, that's not something you have to keep secret, Karen," he says aloud. Maya looks up. Dad glances at her and says, "She saw her Grandpa dying. Not a secret. Family stuff, yes, but you don't have to keep that a secret, Karen."
Maya shoots a horrified look of sympathy at you. You glare at Dad. Gee, thanks. Now I have to deal with this.
A smirk flickers across his face. You'll cope.
He then claps his hands together. "Alright, girls. I think that's enough excitement for one day. Maya, you can show me how strong you are some other time. For now, let's get back to my house, where it's warm." He puts two fingers to his forehead and reaches out towards you. "Coming?"
* * *
Grandma, I have news.
What is it, Kakara? Something to do with Jaffur?
I had a vision.
* * *
Sensei, I Saw something.
Well, congratulations. Have a cookie. I saw things too, today. Why, there was a spider on my window not five seconds ago.
Not seeing, Sensei! I Saw something.
Gah, I know, I know. Did you manage a directed vision this time?
No. Pastsight. I couldn't stop it.
Really? Well, you're good at stopping them when you don't want them. Must've been strong. What do we have?
I Saw the Enemy.
...are you alright?
I'm...okay. Now. I had some help. Can I tell you at our lesson this weekend?
You'd better, girl. For the upcoming week, you suppress everything, you understand? I don't care what you See, you step on it. I'm saying this as your teacher, not your someday subject. Suppress everything. Understood?
Yes, Sensei.
Good girl.
* * *
Ultimately, your vision changes little. It's the most information you've ever had about the Enemy, but mostly it just reinforces what you already knew: it -- he -- is dangerous. Terrifyingly dangerous. You already knew that; there's not much to be done just right now. But really, the reason why nothing much changes is simple.
Dad was already resolved to reveal Maya to the Clans.
This only makes it more urgent, he tells you as the two of you fly above the ocean towards the South Pole. You only get visions like this if they're relevant. Now, maybe it was Gohan's statue that was relevant. Maybe it was some other small detail that we're overlooking that was relevant. Why hasn't the Enemy come after us already, for instance, if he told Gohan he was going to? We don't know. But the most obvious conclusion is that the Enemy himself is going to become relevant within your lifetime.
It could be that voice that saved me, you suggest.
I would like nothing more, but that voice wasn't the vision you received, says Dad. He interrupted your vision. The Enemy was your vision. And if he's going to become relevant...we have to be ready. To be ready, we have to be strong. It's time to start building up again. Not Super Saiyan 2. Not yet, not that we even know how if there's a special trick. But we need to centralize authority, so that we can start making our moves in earnest.
I know, Dad, you reply. I think the same thing.
The two of you crest the latest patch of horizon and come into view of Maya. She waves.
I remember, says Dad. Just...justifying it to myself. I was acting very rashly, last week before you had that vision. On reflection, I'm not doing anything differently, but looking back I was acting recklessly. I saw a chance to start my old plans of re-establishing authority back up again, and I took it. Barely thought at all. And having thought about it now, I'm still going to try to do that. But I...I need to be sure.
You glance at him. He's gazing off into the distance.
You look away, swallowing. I understand, Dad.
The two of you come to a halt, your auras winking out as you draw up to Maya. Dad smiles at her. "Hello again, Maya. Did you have a good week?"
She nods. "I did."
"Good. Now, things got a little crazy last week, but I do still want to see how strong you are. Can you show me?"
She nods, slowly at first. Then she glances at you. She looks back at Dad and gives him a much firmer nod.
She drifts away and inhales. In the moment before the rush, you say a brief goodbye to the old way of things. After today, nobody will be able to forget that your family is nobility.
Maya clenches her fists, hunches up, and begins to yell, her hair blowing wildly in the sudden cyclone of ki around her.
Her ki flashes once, bright white, in the center of her chest, and then snaps outwards into a full aura that buffets you and your Dad.
And in response, you can feel the ki of countless saiyans the world over flaring in startled reply as Maya unknowingly tears apart the old order.
No vote this time, folks. In the next update, we backtrack a couple of weeks to take up the adventures of Number Three (remember her?) as she tries to mend fences with Mato. The repercussions of this moment won't be showcased until much later on. I'll be along with a vote-bearing update tomorrow or the day after. For now, though, this concludes the Maya arc of this year.
Regarding the link a few lines up -- I can't speak to the long-term survivability of that. "Misterioso" is a fantastic song, but some *sshole team of copyright attorneys has been going around handing out copyright strikes like candy. Same thing happened to all of the Attack on Titan music a few months back. My apologies if this link dies in the near future.
There was no winning vote, on account of there being no vote of any description. We now return you to the long-lost days of yesterweek, when Number Three was talking to Mato about what an insufferable shit he is...
Sibling Rivalry
"YOU'RE SO STUPID!"
This is going well.
"YOU ALWAYS ACT LIKE YOU'RE SO PERFECT!"
In fact, spectacularly.
"I HATE YOU!"
He hasn't tried to kill you once.
That said, the shouting is still not what you're aiming for. You sigh, and open your mouth. "Mato, I-"
"SHUT! UP!" His aura flares unconsciously.
And then, Dad is there. "Mato Goku, power down!"
Your brother does, instantly. He wheels on your father. "Dad-!"
"You do not raise your ki to your sister when she's trying to talk!" shouts Dad. "You are family, and I won't have you threatening her!"
Mato scoffs. "Like I even could." With a last, spiteful glance at you, he turns and walks off.
"That could have gone better," says your Dad, sighing.
You nod, at a loss for what to do about the situation.
A week later, you're chatting with Fennella as you finally have that spar you promised.
"All boys are stupid, Kari," she says, lunging at you with a wooden practice sword. "Doesn't matter if they're your brother or not."
You nod seriously. At twelve years old, now, Fennella is far more worldly and wise than you in such affairs. "Still, he's my brother. I have to like him."
"Not really. It's nice to, though. Ha!"
She spins aside from a feint and swipes low, aiming for your knees. You flip up, though, hanging upside down and pulling a face at her. "Ha ha, too slow!"
Fennella growls and comes on in a flurry of blows.
Trunks style is...odd. You're used to your Dad's style -- Goku Style. Very aggressive, very melee focused. Mono-focused, actually, to the point where it's almost (okay, fine, very) predictable.
Trunks style, on the other hand, is hard to pin down. Fennella is always on the move, rarely blocking things outright when she can instead deflect them to the side or dodge. It's not like she can't block, it's just that the form seems to rely on the idea that she'll never know if maybe this next punch is the one she can't hold back. So she's always moving. She attacks a lot from range, and when she does close, it's straight for the win. And dodging a sword is hard since any contact at all means-
The breath flies out of your lungs as a deceptive twist turns into a brutal slash that nails you in the stomach. "Oof!" You fall on your butt, catching your air back.
"YES!" Fennella punches the air, laughing. "I finally did it! Woo!" She offers you a hand up, grinning.
You take it, still panting. "Nice one."
"I know, right? Hehe." She shakes her head. "Still, it's not you at your best."
Fair enough; you are suppressing to just a little bit above her level. "I mean, I'm still a bit higher than you right now."
She shakes her head, though. "No, I mean your style, Kari. You never hit back! You just dodge all the time."
You let out a chuckle to hide your sudden nerves. "Works, though!"
"Well yeah, but I know you know how to fight back. Why don't you?"
You shrug. "It's good practice. Do you have any brothers?"
Fennella nods, distracted. "Yeah, two. No sisters, though."
"Are they jealous they're not House Heir?" you ask.
"Nah," says Fennella. "Dad's never really home. He's always working. I'm with him half the time. They don't really want that."
You huff. "I know, right? I don't know how my Dad spends so much time with us with all the stuff he has me do! I don't know why Mato wants it."
She shrugs. "Me neither. My little brothers can be big brats, though."
"How do you deal with them?"
She shrugs. "Usually just talking. They're brats, but they're my brats. End of the day, I'm their big sis. I'm supposed to take care of them. Besides, it's not like it's really hard. It's just them being jealous, usually. They want something, but they don't have it."
"But that's hard!" you say. "He is jealous. How do I stop that?"
She cocks her head. "You know how they teach us to control our anger? It's not really different. Go blow some stuff up in the Hall. Maybe yell at somebody who won't get you in trouble for it. But then you can come back when it's easier. And if somebody else is angry, you're just supposed to let them get it out. I dunno why we figured it out for being angry, but being jealous is supposed to be so hard."
You blink, struck by the simple wisdom in your friend's words. Is it...really that simple?
* * *
No. No it is not.
Mato has been talking for hours.
You lean back, hiding a sigh with the patience born of long hours of political lessons as he spills out yet another grievance to you. It is -- surprise, surprise -- even more about how unfair it is that you're Scion and he's not.
You're going to kill Fennella for suggesting this.
You're mad at Dad too. He was so happy when he heard about this idea. "Good practice for later," he said.
Hah.
But most of all, you're mad at yourself. Actually doing it was your stupid idea.
And then Mato starts to wind down a bit. "I just...you get everything, you know?"
You blink. That's new.
"You just have to ask for stuff, and everybody runs to get it for you," he says, looking down. "You wanna be a Super Saiyan. Dad'll help. You want somebody to teach you how to be a Seer -- because you're a Seer, too -- and Mom and Dad get Carrick Balor, who's supposed to be crazy good, to be your teacher. You wanna learn to be an Oozaru? Dad gets you a teacher the same day you ask, and then he brings you with on my lessons with him." He crosses his arms. "You want human friends and you get them, you want to never talk to any saiyans even though it's your job and Dad lets you, you decide you do want to talk to saiyans 'cause of the Cult Council and the High Priest sends you a letter telling you to come."
Now that's just outrageously unfair. "Hey, there's plenty I want that I don't get-"
"I don't get what I want," he murmurs.
Oh. You're being ignored.
"I've been asking since I was four for Dad to teach me Oozaru," he says. "And then he did. But only because he was fighting with you. I only got to learn because he couldn't talk with you and he was mad." Mato sniffles. "And then Mom was angry at him because he was being mean to you, and she yelled at me because I didn't tell Dad no when I'd been asking for years, and Fasha and E were mad at me too, and everybody is still mad even though they're happy with you now. And you didn't even notice!"
And...there is absolutely nothing you can say in response to that. Because he's right. You never did. You were too busy with the conspiracy, and being sad yourself, and so many other things, and Mato just...didn't rate. It never really occurred to you that there was more to this than simple envy.
"I wanted to have something special with Dad too," he says, beginning to sob in earnest. "And you know what? I wa- was glad!" He looks up, yelling at you. "I was glad you were fighting with him, because it was the only time he'd even spent time with me like he always does with you!" He scrubs at his eyes. "I- I want to be important too. I want to help! I want to be somebody special. But I'm not the Scion. I can't go Super Saiyan. I can't be useful. You are. And you get everything. You get to be special. You get to be important. You get Dad."
And he breaks down.
You stare, eyes wide. Three here. Mato is starting to cry now. What do I do?
...cut the link and hug our brother, dummy!
IT'S WEIRD, OKAY?!
Three! Cut! Now!
Fine!
You have absolutely no idea what to do. This is completely unfamiliar territory. But you have to do something.
What?
Choose all that apply. "All of the above" votes are viable, if perhaps more entertaining for me than you given that I then get to write a 5,000+ word social meltdown, and if you neglect to fill in, "Write-in approach/tone," votes, I get to decide what goes there. Vote by plan, please. In case it was not apparent: YOU HAVE ENTERED A SOCIAL EVENT CHAIN.
[ ] Panic
-[ ] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
--[ ] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
---[ ] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
----[ ][reference]*Screaming in Kagome*[/reference]
[ ] Hug your brother
-[ ] Also cry
[ ] Set him straight on this whole, "You get everything," misconception
-[ ] Write-in approach
--[ ] Write-in tone
[ ] Respond to his concerns supportively
-[ ] Write-in approach
--[ ] Write-in tone
[ ] Get up and leave
[ ] Stay silent
[ ] Yell back at Mato about your own grievances with him
-[ ] Write-in approach
--[ ] Write-in tone.
[ ] Also cry (without hugging Mato)
[ ] Write-in
THIS VOTE IS NOW CLOSED
As an experiment, for the various write-ins, see about how concise we can make them. I.e., use only about a sentence to explain approaches, try to capture your tone in five or so words or less, and just try for brevity with general write-ins. I want to see if that makes the votes easier on you and/or me. This isn't a hard requirement; I won't discount big votes. Just an experiment. If it proves to be a headache, then nothing comes of it.
If you plan on, say, staying silent and then waiting to see how Mato reacts to that, write that in. Do not simply vote, "[ ] Stay Silent," because if that's the winning vote, that's all that Kakara will do, no matter what happens. Such applies similarly to all such votes where something is implied, but not part of the vote; if it's not in boxes, then as far as I the vote interpreter is concerned, it doesn't exist. Doesn't have to be in detail; just telling me what you want to accomplish will have me make Kakara execute it to the best of her (rolled and IC history) competence, and I'll follow the broad approach you specify. But it has to be there for me to interpret off of a vote counter, not somewhere in the 10+ pages of discussion we often get. If there's some room for interpretation still and I don't have input where you couldn't have anticipated it being needed, I'll just break for another vote.
And, of course: WE ARE BACK! Enjoy yourselves, everybody!
NO VOTES UNTIL THE UPDATE HAS BEEN UP FOR FIVE HOURS
[X] Plan Understanding, Compassion, and Support
-[X] Hug your brother damnit
-[X] Respond to his concerns supportively
--[X] Admit that it isn't fair, and that we hadn't seen the issue before, but that we aren't sure how to fix it - though we're open to suggestions.
---[X] Be sympathetic, apologetic for not seeing it, and supportive.
Understanding, Compassion, and OHGODLASERS
You stare at Mato for a moment, deeply unsure of yourself.
And then you decide just to take your clones' advice. They're distant, they can think.
You step forward and wrap your arms around your little brother.
Mato struggles, at first. The instant your arms touch his shoulders he flinches, and he starts thrashing around as your weight comes down on them. But you hold on, and soon enough his anger burns out. He sags, sobbing all the harder.
"I'm sorry," you whisper, shifting to get comfortable. "I'm sorry, Mato."
He simply keeps crying.
"You're right," you say, struggling for works. "It isn't fair. I'm sorry I didn't see it. I don't know why I didn't. And it's not fair. You're my brother. I shouldn't get everything you want."
He starts to subside, sniffling.
"I just don't know what to do," you admit. "I'm not Mom. I'm not Dad. I don't know if I can fix this."
"Don't want you to fix it," mutters Mato.
You wince. He probably doesn't want to hear about how you want to swoop in and make everything better. "No, you're right. Sorry. I just...I got used to having to do everything," you say. "I don't like leaving things. Especially not when they're sort of my fault."
He sits up. "Sort of?!"
You frown at him. "Sort of. I'm not Mom and Dad. I'm sorry I didn't see it. It's not anything I did, though."
He scowls, but subsides, crossing his arms and looking away.
"I want to help," you say. "I mean...I know it's part of the problem, but they listen to me. We can do something with that, right?"
Mato snorts. "Yeah, maybe. Dunno what, though."
You sigh. "Yeah."
Silence stretches, and Mato leans back. Finally he sighs, almost appearing to shrink. "I just want to be special like you are," he mutters, looking miserable.
You look down at him. You consider.
You resign yourself to an annoying afternoon, and heave a silent sigh. You paste on a smile and look down at him.
"Wanna spar?"
* * *
SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-
BANG
You and Mato clash together in the wake of the blast, your brother taking the offensive as you recover from blocking his beam.
Not that you know it, but you look even more like Ancestor Lazuli than usual when you fight. It's all in the eyes. You normally have a naturally cheery expression, but that all burns away when you focus for a fight.
At this point, that focus is turned towards Mato's form.
Sloppy, you think, leaning backwards to avoid a punch that probably wouldn't have hurt even if it had connected. He pulled it. "You aren't going to hurt me, Mato," you say, snapping out a lazy kick that he easily blocks.
He grunts and comes back after you, properly this time.
Mato is an aggressive fighter. It couldn't be more obvious that he's trying to copy your Dad. He's always pushing to get up close and take you down in hand-to-hand.
vip
That said, while you haven't yet made a serious study in any particular school of fighting, you're much better than this, and know a lot more techniques than he does. You're doing much better at keeping the range open.
You draw your hands back, having transmitted away. "Kamehame...ha!"
A quick fire, but it makes him dodge. He actually recovers well, firing his own Kamehameha back at you in the middle of his evasive flip. As he starts closing to attack again, he starts talking. "So, Kakara, you fought Scion Jaffur, right?"
Any hint of a smile drops off of your face. "Twice. Why?"
Mato tries to sweep your legs but fails. "Was he as strong as they say he was?"
"Wasn't that he was strong," you reply, forcing him back with a wordless pulse of power. "I mean, he was, but that wasn't it. He was good. Better than I am. Probably as good as Dad. But he was tricky, too. Did something with his aura that made him hit harder than his power level."
He gives you a weird look, somersaults back, and cups his hands. "Ka...me...ha...me...HA!"
You let the blast wash over you. "Well yeah, I know that we do that too, but we have to concentrate and it's hard. It leaves us open. His was all the time. Punches, kicks, blasts, and his body. It was crazy."
"It sounds cool!" says Mato, rushing you.
You shrug. "I guess."
"Did you ever figure out how he did it?" he asks. His interest is transparent.
How do you answer your brother?
[ ] Lie and say you didn't figure out anything. You're still not sure what the deal with Jaffur's style is. You'd rather experiment some more...or better yet, ask the boy himself later this year, assuming you get through to him.
[ ] Reveal what little you've figured out (reference Jaffur's character sheet for details). Mato seems interested. Who knows? Maybe he could help you finish figuring out what this form is all about. It might be a way to help him feel special like he wants.
[ ] Write-in.
THIS VOTE IS NOT YET CLOSED.
Take note: MIGHT. It would be decided down the line depending on how it goes and how you handle it. That is all.
For those who don't follow the conversation: a friend of mine had RL troubles and turned their RP over to me for the duration, resulting in this delay. However, they've just come back and are back to GMing, allowing me to get this update out. I hope you all enjoy!
In case you don't want to trek back to the character sheets, what you know of Jaffur's style is, broadly, that it involves compressing your ki in a new and weird way. This results in a de facto significantly higher power level than he appears to express, even to your senses. You can presently replicate the aesthetics, but not the effects. As such, while there must be drawbacks you have no idea what they are. You have a variety of theories on how to improve your understanding of the effect, but haven't had time to put them into practice.
Enjoy, everybody!
Kakara is faced with an intriguing choice: the opportunity to bring her brother into her abandoned studies into Jaffur's mysterious style. Will this be the way for the Goku siblings to repair their relationship? Will shared work result in closer relations? Or will Kakara chose to hide her limited successes, and try to find another path to healing the rift between her and Mato? Find out next time, on Dragon Ball AE!
NO VOTES UNTIL THE UPDATE HAS BEEN UP FOR TWO HOURS
[X] Write-in: Plan Communication is Key
-[X] We'll explain what small bits we've figure out, but we certainly can't replicate it yet.
-[X] Let him know we will be looking at and trying to figure out the style as well, so while we won't try to overshadow him, he won't be the only one working on it, and he might start to feel that way.
-[X] Explain our concern about if word gets to Jaffur's mother, she might try to make trouble about it. Her, or possibly other people who either agree with her, or hold Jaffur's use of that style as near-sacrosanct.
Butterfly Wings
After yet another frozen moment of internal debate, you shrug. "I don't know exactly how Jaffur did it, Mato."
vip
You settle your power level. "I'm trying to figure it out, but...I just don't have time to do it. I learned a little bit of it, though."
The two of you descend back towards the ground. "Did he just have a big Kamehameha going the whole time?" asks your brother.
You shake your head, but pause partway through. "....um. I don't actually know. I mean, I don't think so, but maybe? I figured this much out."
You look around furtively. Then you power up enough to flare your aura, and drag it back in around yourself with a grunt.
"Ki's like fire, right?" you say. "But what Jaffur does looks like burning syrup. It's sticky. So I figured out that I had to change the way I did it. When I first did, it was way too hard. I couldn't control my ki enough to hold onto it. I got better later, but it still-"
fiz
Your aura unbinds and returns to its usual state as your attention flickers for a moment. You grumble, powering down. "See? I've been trying to figure it out, but I don't have time. It's really hard to hold onto. You have to pay attention all the time."
Mato nods, fires up his aura, and frowns. And frowns.
He doubles over like he's powering up and starts growling. His aura stays the same.
"You're not going to get it now, dummy," you say, rolling your eyes. "Took me months, and I fought it."
He flushes. "Shut up, Kakara!" He stands, though. "Are you going to show me or not?"
You nod. "Yeah, of course. But don't be too excited. The way I have it, I lose the aura if I do anything. Fighting doesn't work at all. I don't know how Jaffur did it."
He shrugs. "It's more than I know now."
You nod. "Okay. One more thing: I'm still gonna be trying to figure this out. I'm not trying to beat you, but I'm not going to stop studying just because you are too."
Mato stares at you. There's a glint in his eyes. "Okay."
You're not sure how to read that one. You decide to continue. "And be careful that you don't do this where anybody else could see! Lady Vegeta saw me practicing once and she tried to yell at me." Which you shut down. "She'll probably yell at you too if she sees you practicing this. Maybe there are other people like her. I don't know. People are weird sometimes."
He nods. "Okay. I can do that."
You nod. "Good. Then yeah, I'll teach you. Hey, let's go somewhere else. The Hall's pretty empty today, but there are always people here."
"But nowhere's safe to train, outside the Hall!" says Mato as you lift off and head for the doors.
You grin. "Wanna bet? I have a place we could use." You pick up the pace, making Mato chase you as you lead the way to the caverns you built for Maya.
Mato Goku relationship stabilized, will no longer degrade over time. Further improvements will require action investments or seized opportunities.
Mato Goku begins scholarship into Jaffur Style.
* * *
Over the next few weeks the situation with Maya concludes, and you teach Mato what you know about Jaffur's trick.
And, of course, your vision happens, which is how you find yourself at Sensei Carrick's house the week after you have it. You knock. The door opens.
"Hi, Sens- ack!"
Sensei drags you in by the collar of your shirt the instant he spots you, pulling you over to a chair and sitting you down. "Tell me everything."
Without much complaint, you comply. Sensei stares at you throughout, and then starts storming around the tiny house. He mutters the whole way.
"Master Harren gets the normal students, the most he has to deal with are girls foreseeing their boyfriends breaking up with them and so on, but no, I get the girl who gets her vision of the Enemy before she hits puberty because she's just that ridiculous. Smell these."
You blink as he thrusts a handful of herbs at you. You crinkle your nose, leaning away. "Ew, no! Sensei, I don't want another vision walk!"
He snorts. "They aren't vision herbs, girl, they're just medicine. Smell."
You sigh, and reluctantly do so. Then you start coughing your lungs out. "What is that?!"
"I told you, medicine. All medicine tastes bad." He takes a whiff himself. "Well, smells in this case. This stuff is useful for the aftereffects of the kind of vision you had."
And then what he said earlier strikes home. "Wait...my vision of the Enemy?"
He sighs. "Oh fine, time to get it out of the way. Yes, Kakara, we all get them. No, we're not traitors. Does that answer your questions?"
You blink. "...no!"
He grumbles to himself. "Fine. Here's how it goes: we genuinely don't see anything more than you did. Those that try, go insane. The voice you described intervening? That doesn't happen for the rest of us. Something has taken an interest in you. Be grateful it was benevolent." He crosses to the chair opposite yours and sits down. "Thousands of seers have heard the Enemy say the same words you heard, and then those that try to look under the hood nearly lose their minds. It's more a rite of passage than anything else at this point; nobody's had the idiocy to try in years. We usually teach them better. But you had yours early. It usually doesn't happen until the seer is almost an adult, and the earliest we've had was twelve." He shifts. "I'd have started teaching you this year if it hadn't happened already."
You cross your arms. "Why didn't you tell my Dad? Or my Grandma? Or anybody?"
He shakes his head. "Because there's nothing useful in the visions we've had."
"It's the Enemy!"
"Yes, and part of it is blocked. The Enemy says that seers are a problem, and then its face is mysteriously unviewable. If the rest of it were of any concern, it would have blocked that too. And let's be honest; it's a man in a cloak. Tells us nothing."
"It means he might be a magician," you say, stubborn.
Carrick snorts. "Oh, sterling deduction there. Of course he's a magician. Not even Son Gohan felt anything from him when he came to Earth. The Lords and Ladies have known for years; you're just not given the briefing until you become Lady."
You stare at him. "How do you know that?"
He stares at you for a moment and then deliberately peels his eyelid back. His eyes film over white.
You look away, blushing. "Yeah, okay."
"We considered telling," he says. "We Saw the Lords of the time telling us it was nothing they hadn't already figured out and made provisions to pass down. We decided not to bother. Why tip our hand for no gain? We chose to settle in and wait for a better vision. The more people are in on the secret, the more people can spill it." His eyes go back to normal over the course of his speech. "Anyway. Is there anything else you got out of your vision than what you said already?"
You shake your head.
He nods. "Alright, then. I'm glad that whatever it was intervening stepped in when it did. I would not have appreciated the necessity of explaining that to your father." He tips his head back, closing his eyes. "I'm damn tired."
He lets silence fall for a moment. You roll with it. Sensei does this a lot; even odds on whether he ends up napping, ends up trawling for visions, or just rests a moment and goes back to teaching. After a while, though, you decide to break the silence. "Sensei..."
"Yes?"
You bite your lip. "I was wondering...could you teach me more about Mind Projection?"
[Communication: Not even cookies are fixing that gap]
Without moving or even opening his eyes, Sensei says, "Absolutely not. The Sight is delicate, and I'm not deviating from the training plan for the sake of idle curiosity."
You blink. "Oh. But I-"
"No."
"Sensei-"
"No."
"I need-"
"You need?" Sensei's head comes forward. "I doubt that." He huffs, tilting his head back again. "Tell you what. If you convince me that you really need to learn how to cast your unshielded mind into the ravenous universe at a fraction of your normal power, mere days after you scried the Enemy itself on sheer chance, then I'll teach you. Good luck."
So. Turns out to have been a hard sell. Granted, the Communication check was explicitly stated to be hard. Then again, you now have a choice:
[ ] Accept Sensei's judgment. Train your Sight as normal for the year.
[ ] Take a risk. Bring Sensei into the conspiracy and hope he'll side with you. Then try to get him to help you reach Jaffur.
[ ] Write-in.
THIS VOTE IS NOW CLOSED.
I am a sadistic QM who enjoys pitting you all against each other. I also enjoy inducing paranoia through ominous update titles.
Now, you didn't roll poorly for the "convince Sensei" check. It just was a very hard check, because as stated above, he has valid reasons to refuse you. Not that doing so was impossible, or it wouldn't have been an option. The possibility simply didn't materialize this time.
Thanks to everybody who got back to me about my branding question. I appreciate you taking the time to indulge my curiosity, and also your generous praise. I am an author, after all. I do shrivel if not regularly flattered.
Now, I mentioned this in the thread, but not everybody reads: Multiform has been officially moved to the "Ki Talents" section. Yes, I am considering doing the same for Instant Transmission, although I am currently leaning away from that. No, I won't refile the Kienzan as a construction technique.
Enjoy, everybody!
Peaceful times on Garenhuld draw towards their close as the scouts grow closer and closer by the day! Kakara scrambles to finish her responsibilities for the year as the day draws near. Meanwhile, Lord Berra seeks to instruct his gentle daughter in the ways of war quickly enough for her to be brought in as an active part of the defense. All of the Exiles' society turns in defense of their adopted homeworld; an overwhelming force surely beyond the strength of the army coming for Garenhuld. But with intrigue in the background of events, will the Exiles find the unity needed to stand strong in the face of danger? Find out next time, on Dragon Ball AE!
THERE WILL BE A TWO-HOUR MORATORIUM ON VOTING. THIS UPDATE WAS POSTED ROUGHLY AT 07:00, GMT.
[X] Accept Sensei's judgment. Train your Sight as normal for the year.
-[X] Mention that you've already walked into someone else's mind, by accident even. We need to know this so that we don't get into more danger through sheer happenstance.
Perhaps, In Retrospect, An Obvious Oversight
You shift in your seat, feeling uncomfortable. "Um...Sensei?"
He still doesn't open his eyes. "Go on, girl, make your case."
"I...kind of...already have? Once? By accident!"
For a long moment, your Sensei doesn't move or even breathe. Then he lets out a long sigh, shifting his weight forward until his head sits in his hands. "What."
You whet your lips and swallow. "It was...um...two...years ago?"
"Explain."
"I was training my presentsight like you said, and I wound up in somebody's mind!" you say, cringing at his tone. "I didn't mean to, I just wound up there! I don't know if it'll happen again. That's why I'm asking; I wanted to learn how to avoid getting in more trouble. I mean, you said no, so that's fine, but-"
"Who?"
You blink as Sensei stands. "What?"
"Whose mind? You need to find them, right now, get down on your knees, and beg their forgiveness for the trespass. You will explain that it was unintentional, I shall grab one of my Sorcerer friends to swear the person you visited to secrecy about the whole chat before sending them out of earshot, and you will immediately convince your Lord Father to offer whatever recompense is necessary. The mind is sacrosanct, Kakara. You do not enter it, not without permission and as a last resort even then. When you're there, the other person by default can't see you or detect you until you're already touching something. Anybody whose mind you enter is in far more danger than you'll ever be. So you're going to offer your apologies, and I am going to start drilling you on this immediately. It's not your fault, but this cannot happen again. Done intentionally, tampering with somebody's mind is a hideous and abhorrent breach of trust. So yes. I will teach you Mind Projection. Because apparently the standard regimen simply isn't going to take in your case." He slumps back down into his chair, looking decidedly more frazzled than he was a minute ago. "Now: who was it?"
Oh. Crud.
You bite your lip and fiddle with your hands. "Um..."
I have never promised that every option I offer is a good idea. And some people vote for them anyway, and if those people happen to win I will be rolling with it. Cast your votes, folks...
The post after this one will fold in your Command Training, the Conspiracy Council, and "The Examined Life" action with the arrival of the scouts, once the situation with Sensei is resolved. That's correct; Year 3 concludes with the next update!
Having backed herself into a corner, Kakara is now faced with the prospect of having to tell her teacher in the Sight, Carrick Balor, that she found herself in Jaffur Vegeta's mind! Will the Scion come clean with the truth, or will the arrival of the scouts, barely a month away, see her withhold the information to avoid complications in this delicate time? Find out next time, on Dragon Ball AE!
[X] "With all due respect, Sensei, very little of that applies in this specific case..."
-[X] Tell him about Jaffur.
--[X] Tell him we haven't dared tell anyone about this - what if Dandeer decides to finish the job, and kill Jaffur?
The Rush To the Bottom
You chew on the inside of your cheek, wondering what to say, and how.
Then you remember your protocol lessons, arrange your hands properly, and bow slightly. Number 74, respectful correction of a superior's misconception.
Vegetans have a lot of bows.
Your voice falls into memorizes cadences of speech, firing forth the apology without much conscious thought on your part. "With all due respect, Sensei, very little of that applies in this specific case."
Silence. You prevent yourself from looking up.
And then Sensei starts howling with laughter.
Your head jerks up. Sensei is doubled over in his chair. Tears are literally streaming down his face.
...pouting seems like an appropriate reaction, here.
Your teacher looks up for a moment and then cracks up all over again.
"Sensei!"
He keeps laughing.
You huff, crossing your arms.
After a few minutes he calms down, still chuckling. "Okay, okay. Clearly I came on a little strong just then if that's your reaction. Kakara, you're fine. I told you it's not your fault. I'm not even angry at you, really. I'm mad at myself, for letting this slip past me. I promise, you're okay." He gives you a reassuring smile, suppressing a final snicker. "But in all seriousness, who was it? What do you mean, 'that doesn't apply?'"
You lick your lips and swallow. Okay. I just have to...tell him.
"It was Jaffur Vegeta."
Sensei's mouth drops open. "...huh."
You blink. "...that's it?!"
"Yeah, pretty much." Sensei leans back again, shaking his head. "I mean, I can see why an undirected projection would lead you there. He's pretty relevant to you. How's he holding up in that tidy little prison of his?" His mouth twists in something between contempt and disgust. "Sleeping soundly, I hope?"
You feel vaguely adrift for a moment before remembering that Sensei has the official story of the Sealing, and thinks that you were an instrumental part of it. It...doesn't feel good to have the expression he's wearing now pointed at you, even if it doesn't look like it's for you.
Still, that just makes it more important that you carry on.
You firm yourself up. "Well...no, actually. He's not sleeping. He's awake." You hurry on as Sensei blinks in surprise. "Something went weird with the Seal. Jaffur is awake, and the Seal is locking him in his own mind. The boy running around? That's Jaron -- actually Jaron Somerlad. The Seal...made him real. I don't know how. And he doesn't know anything. He's locked out just like Jaron is locked in, and he thinks he's just a normal human boy. I...obviously I knew for a while. But I didn't want to tell anybody. What if somebody told Jaffur's Mom? What if she thinks she has to do the Seal again, but right this time? Maybe she'll decide she likes Jaron better and kill Jaffur so she doesn't have to see him again!"
Sensei raises his hands all of a sudden, cutting you off mid-flow. "Whoa. Whoa. Hang on. Give me a second." He takes a deep, shuddering breath, and then lets the silence stretch for a moment.
The he locks eyes with you and says, "Kakara, thank you for telling me this. I understand that it's a big secret. I promise I won't let it get back to Lady Vegeta. You have my word on that."
You nod and wait for him to continue. He doesn't. You lean forward. "...and...?"
"And nothing. Not for now." He passes a hand over his face and then glances at a window. "...it's been a stressful session already. I think I'll send you home." He stands. "I need to think. Thank you again, Kakara. I'll see you next week."
And then he turns to the table in the corner, his dismissal clear.
To account for your tendency to project out of your mind anyway regardless of the curriculum, Sensei Carrick will alter your education to specifically improve your facility with Mind Projection. Normal Seer training will stall for the duration, reflecting this specialization. You will still get yearly visions and random visions. Carrick Balor relationship improved to "Acquaintance [Positive]."
* * *
And the month after that, you and your various allies gather over the north pole to discuss strategy.
Grandma was happy to hear about your progress, when you told her, and agreed instantly to show up to the meeting with some of the people she's been able to bring in yourself. When the day arrives, you meet up with the Senzus and bring them to the meeting point.
Your jaw drops upon seeing who your Grandma brought with.
As the Senzus all bow their heads and fold their knees, you gape at Yammar Vegeta in disbelief. "You!"
He stares back. "You didn't see this coming?" He scowls at your Grandma as though holding her personally responsible for that fact.
You blink, re-evaluating. Because when it comes down to it, this was obvious. He's been quite plainly furious over the Sealing. He spoke out openly against Lady Vegeta. Now that you think about it there's not more obvious candidate for induction into the conspiracy. Thinking back, you remember that he was with your Grandma for a long part of the Council.
It's not that you'd actively dismissed the possibility that she had brought him in. You just feel a bit foolish for not having actively considered it in any depth.
Yammar shakes his head, plainly disappointed. "Dandeer tries to have me watched day and night because I'm so plainly a risk to her position. I will thank you for not giving me occasion to think more highly of Dandeer than you in the future." He drifts past you before you can give that the scathing reply it deserves. "Head Raditz Senzu."
"Lord Patriarch, I present myself to your service," says Raditz, head bowed in a formal gesture of submission. "I report the subversion of the Clan by a usurper and render my House's services unto your command until such time as the line of succession is re-established."
"I am familiar with the situation, Head Senzu," says Yammar. "Rise."
Raditz does, instantly, and his House does the same. As his family members unfold behind him, Raditz meets Yammar's gaze squarely. "I apologize for the delay, my Lord. As you said, your watchers have been persistent and our information was limited. Our only serious attempt to reach out to you saw us encounter Scion Kakara instead. It is no excuse."
"It isn't," says Yammar. "It's reason enough, though. I accept your service, Head Senzu. I welcome your service and counsel."
The two nod and clasp arms.
What do you see here? asks Grandma.
You blink. Um. It looks like the Vegetan oath of fealty when succession happens. But it's shorter.
Emergency oath in a time of crisis. Raditz is acknowledging Yammar as the rightful and acting Lord until the proper parties can be restored to leadership. I wonder if he means to include Vegeta? She sounds pensive, and continues, Yammar is responding by forgiving the delay in swearing -- which was quite lengthy -- and acknowledging the service and legitimacy such a prominent Head swearing to his cause lends him.
You ponder this for a moment. So...Raditz is saying that he'll work for Yammar, and Yammar is saying thank you?
Roughly, yes.
Hm. Did you find anybody else?
A small bevy of Heads sufficiently repulsed by the situation to swear to us. The Balors and Peats, primarily, along with their traditional allies.
You frown at the mention of the Peats. Dad's investigating Head Peat for treason.
And Head Peat is well aware, says Grandma. He didn't expect Celeran's display to go unremarked-upon. He came to me begging for clemency for his actions if he supported us. I told him, "When the day comes that I, and not my son, sits in judgment over you, your actions shall be forgiven." She sends a mental snort. Fool. As though I would ever displace my own son.
You frown. You're not quite sure what to think about that.
The Vegetans, meanwhile, turn back to you and your Grandma. "Well. Despite the one oversight I must admit myself impressed with your initiative, Scion Kakara," says Yammar. "To find the Senzus and organize this meeting displays a great deal of capability on your part." He nods. "Shall we begin?"
And so you do. You and Raditz relate your stories and lay our your tentative game plan. Grandma and Yammar share their own efforts.
"Our plan was to force Berra to withdraw his support for Dandeer with political pressure," says Grandma. "We're been gathering allies for it. It's slow going, unfortunately. We're years from having enough support to sway my son at this pace."
"Your own plan is far faster," says Yammar. "Incomplete, though. Freeing Jaffur is all well and good, but afterwards you lack the ability to pressure Berra and Dandeer into compliance."
"Once Jaffur is free, we'll have all the force we need," says Raditz, crossing his arms. "We had known to plan on Scion Kakara and Matriarch Apra siding with us, and knew we should at the least count you as a neutral party. Now we know to expect you on the battlefield as an ally. Jaffur will fight with us -- I imagine he could hardly be stopped. My brother, the only other Vegetan sorcerer, will side with us. What does Dandeer have, to counter that? Berra. Herself, and whatever magic she can muster with my brother countering her. And then what? With all of the Super Saiyans we can muster, the fight will be won in the gold. The one who wins that can then dictate terms. There will be nobody to stand in our way."
"Stability remains a concern in the long term," says Yammar. "Your assistance and presence is appreciated, but we need more. The Vegetans will rise for us in a heartbeat, but with Berra agitating against us, the Gokun will see this as nothing more than a coup. We need time to gather support among them."
You frown, looking between them. Then you raise your hand.
"What, Scion?" asks Yammar.
"...maybe this is a silly question," you say. "But...why not both? Even with Sensei Carrick teaching me it'll probably be a year before I can reach Jaffur. Then it could be a year again until Sorcerer Senzu can teach Jaffur enough to help us break the Seal. It could even be more! And even if Jaffur could help us now, the aliens are coming, and it'll be two years until they all get here."
"A fair point," says Grandma. "Now is a poor time for instability in the first place."
"Even with the fast plan it'll be a couple of years before we can do something," you say. "You can still find people to support us until then."
Yammar hums. "Two years to drum up support? Maybe three, if we take a year to let things settle after the invasion?"
"I can work with that," says Grandma. "It's not ideal, but I'll manage."
Raditz dips his head. "As long as we're waiting anyway."
Yammar nods. "I agree to this. A fine idea, Scion. Depressingly simple, when it's pointed out to us. I suppose we can all get married to our own opinions."
Grandma chuckles, ruffling your hair.
Raditz clears his throat. "While we're on the subject of allies, I had a question." He looks at you. "Her teacher's reaction is interesting. I assume House Balor hasn't been brought in on this conspiracy?"
"House Balor has," says Grandma. "Head Balor hasn't dared bring his brother in, in particular. Or so he says. Personally, I get the feeling he wants to give Seer Carrick the luxury of uninvolvement."
Yammar snorts. "'Hasn't dared' sounds reasonable to me. Balors." He makes a contemptuous expression. "I never understood why Lady Garla bothered to keep them intact."
"She tolerated the Peats. Next to outright dissidents, republican fools look tame."
"As well say that next to Freeza, the Ginyu force looked positively friendly."
You cock your head. "Republicans?"
Yammar glances your way. "Before Lady Garla. The Balors tried a republic. The minority opinions tended to splinter away from their House and set off on their own on every major issue. And there was always somebody powerful enough going out to make forcing them to stay infeasible. They got nothing done, nearly shattered the Masquerade, and were easily absorbed by Lady Garla. A lovely ideal, executed poorly in that particular case."
"Off topic," says Raditz, shaking his head. "How the Balors might have made a decent republic is a matter for history."
Yammar tilts his head. "True. We are discussing Seer Carrick. I believe he should be kept out of this. The Balors are unreliable. He cannot be trusted."
"He doesn't have to be unfalteringly loyal," says Grandma. "He seems repulsed enough at what's been done to Jaffur that we can rely on his assistance here."
"I don't think he would tell my Dad," you say. "He hates the idea of somebody messing with minds."
"He remains unpredictable," insists Yammar. "Many Balors outright to refuse to engage with the Masquerade, and he is one of them. They often resent the Lords. I do not believe he can be trusted. And we don't need him anyway. As Head Raditz pointed out, we have power enough already to secure victory. We don't need the Seers. And he's already teaching the Scion what she needs to know. I fail to see the value of bringing him on."
Meeting held; plans formalized and unified. Your course of action does not change. Votes available for whether or not to bring Sensei Carrick in on the plot. Yammar Vegeta stands as an Ally [Dependable] for the duration of the plot.
* * *
It is the last night of the year. You are spending it outdoors, on the edge of space.
As the scouts have drawn nearer and nearer, you've been drawing in on yourself. Your parents were a bit worried, at first. But they needn't have worried. You've just been thinking.
All your life you've pushed to achieve what you set out to do. No matter what you're up to, it's very hard to discourage you from it. While that drive has found a new outlet lately, in the form of your ambition to be a good and powerful Lady for your people, it's still the same impulse underneath.
It never occurred to you before now, though, to wonder what exactly that drive means.
The warrior to your lefts shifts, blowing on her hands to warm them.
You've been a little worried lately about the direction your thoughts have turned in. You've never really wanted power before. You've wanted things. You've wanted to achieve various tasks. And yes, you use what you have to do that. But until lately you've never specifically wanted the power that would let you get more things. And that's different now, because you do. You want it badly.
You're not worried about that new impulse. You were at first, a bit, but it's not really about the power for you, even now. It's still about what you can do with it. You just finally drew a connection between what you can do with power and the power itself, and so now you want what lets you succeed. That's not a problem.
No, you've been wondering about what's underneath.
An antique scouter, brought out of storage for the purposes of better communication between response teams, hisses behind you as somebody gets a status update.
You've always fought for what you want. You've had to. Until the Sealing, nobody respected you for yourself. And that impulse -- that need to overcome -- is where your new ambition has its roots.
So what does that mean? You asked Dad.
"That's the mark of a strong-willed person, Kakara. It means that once you decide what you want, you never give up."
You asked Mom.
"That's what being organized is like. It means you can set a goal and follow through. It's a good thing. It makes good students."
You even asked Fennella one day, hoping for more of her older-girl wisdom.
"That's you! It's...it happens when you want something. Want it so bad it burns. You decide what you want, more than anything, and you chase it as far and as hard as you can."
Somehow you suspect that their answers tell you more about them then about the question you asked. But it gave you somethings to work from.
And so now you wonder...what does your drive mean for you?
But it's not time to decide that yet. Now you're hovering on the edge of Garenhuld's atmosphere in command of a team of saiyan warriors, and you're waiting for the scouts.
You dad trained you hard so you could be ready for this. He wanted you to take part -- a way for you to start stepping into your responsibilities, so he said. And so you drilled. You listened. You sat through endless lessons. And now...Dad thinks you're ready. You don't feel ready. But Dad says you're good enough to lead, when the people behind you are mostly there to stay out of your way and fight the enemies you can't bother with.
And now you're leading a bunch of grown-ups on a mission to...stop...the scouts before they reach Garenhuld.
Dad laid out the plan for you weeks ago. You don't have to kill the scouts. Which is good, you guess. You really don't think you could do that. Not and stay you. But the Training Hall has cells for saiyan criminals, and the scouts will be way weaker than your people. You'll have a way to hold them. What you and he will do is wait until you can sense them coming, and then teleport onto their ship. Then you take out the crew, tie them up, and bring them home.
Simple.
Your head buzzes as another team almost a hundred miles away opens a telepathic link to you. The Vegetan team leader says, Scion, your father asks if you've sensed them yet.
You shake you head. No.
The link closes.
The plan is simple. But it relies on one thing: you feeling the scouts as they come. And you're really looking for them, as much as you can without sending out an active ping. You should have felt the birdsong alien when it came into the system next door. And you know they're already in Garenhuld's system. The Seers have all confirmed that the scouts arrive today. The scouts have to be here.
So where are they?
The tension rises as the minutes trickle away. Warriors mutter to themselves and each other, shifting around as the wait stretches longer and longer.
And you still sense nothing.
And finally, a telepathic link comes from Dad himself. Follow the link back. IT to me. Leave your team. We need to discuss this.
You nod out of unconscious habit and-
vip
-appear next to your father. "Still nothing?" he asks.
You nod. "Nothing."
"Could the wider galaxy have learned better ki control?" he wonders, pacing. "Even if they have, under the stress of a ship coming down through atmosphere something should have been jarred loose. Kais, why haven't we flat-out seen it by now?"
You open your mouth to reply -- what with, you don't know -- only to be cut off by a beeping sound.
You and your Dad go still as the scouter he's picked out to coordinate the teams signals midnight, and the end of the old year.
For a long moment Dad doesn't move. And then he reaches out with his mind, tense.
Seer Balor. You said the invaders would arrive by the new year.
After a moment, your Sensei replies. Yes, I did. And I stand by that prediction. There's a pause before Sensei says, If you haven't stopped them...
Dad closes the link, staring off into space.
Ten minutes later, one of the teams sends a communication that they've found an abandoned spacecraft.
Ten minutes and a second later, you and your Dad are inspecting it.
And it doesn't surprise you at all when the engineer your Dad brings in tells you that the spacecraft has an active cloaking device, and an armor alloy that blocks ki signatures up to a maximum of ten million.
Suddenly, the question of what your drive means to you seems a whole lot more pressing.
The scouts have arrived, and using a stealth spacecraft, have made an unopposed landing on Garenhuld. They are now scouting freely around the planet, undetectable to your senses while they carry out their mission. Your response will be determined by Year 4's options. Command Training skill set at [Competent]. Lose trait, "Driven," gain trait, [Vote Below].
Year 3 complete.
These votes will be tallied separately. No write-ins unless specified, please.
Do you support Sensei Carrick's inclusion in the conspiracy?
[ ] Yes. You can trust him with this. ("Recruit Sensei Carrick" option occurs next year; even if you don't take it, somebody will approach him to bring him in)
[ ] No. Patriarch Yammar makes good points about his reliability. You don't really know him yet. ("Recruit Sensei Carrick" options are permanently struck from the yearly options and will not reappear in the absence of new information; your co-conspirators will respect your judgment as the one who knows this man most on a matter as delicate as this)
How will you define your drive, moving forward? The option you choose will determine the name of the new trait. I encourage you to approach this as a roleplaying and not a mechanical decision. The options below are mechanically indistinct. The differences are in how Kakara will act with her new mindset.
[ ] "Iron Will." Never give up. Never give in. No matter what stands in your path, let it bounce off of you. You decide what your course of action is, and you will stay the course.
[ ] "Organized." This is not a matter of dramatics. You have your goals. What does it take to achieve them? All else falls away once you have determined that.
[ ] "Passionate." You are alive in a way it seems few other people are. When you look at the world, you see it exploding with amazing things that you want to experience or possess. You can do no less than to burn just as brightly.
[ ] Approved Write-Ins. If you have another idea, that's fine; Kakara may have taken something else than the above advice from the talks she had. But run it by me first so I can tell you whether or not it's something that I find plausible. After all, I have to write this thing coming into effect. Please, nobody vote for an unapproved write-in. Good write-ins will focus on: a mindset that would plausibly lead a person to drive themselves towards their goals with greater fervor as a general rule.
THESE VOTES ARE STILL OPEN.
Ultimately, it was never going to be up to Kakara what the plan of attack was vs. the scouts. She's too inexperienced and unlearned for her voice to have that kind of weight. So it was very amusing that the plan discussed most often was basically what Berra came up with. :lol And then the aliens went and had a stealth spaceship. Again, a confluence of ideas; neither you nor Berra devoted any serious thought to the aliens being able to spoof your senses. I've been waiting for that one.
I hope you've all enjoyed the conclusion to Year 3! As promised, it has been an incredibly eventful year. In order not to stifle conversation about the votes, please hold it until the voting has settled down a bit, but feel free to discuss your overall aims for Year 4 while you wait for me to write up the Year 4 post!
I'm going to crash out now, so don't expect any more from me for a few hours. I've written two updates that add up to 4-5 thousand words between them today and am thoroughly burnt out. Worth it, though. The muse may even release me now. Relatedly, I have not proofed this at all. If anybody posts grammar and spelling corrections, that would be greatly appreciated, but rest assured that I'll be getting to editing this once I'm awake again anyway.
I hope you all love the update! I will see you soon!
The scouts have finally arrived on Garenhuld, but in a move that shocked everybody, managed to slip past the net of saiyan defenders and reach the planet itself. With alien invaders roaming loose on the planet's surface, the Exiles are faced with possible disaster. Having underestimated the capabilities of the invaders by so wide a margin, will the Exiles be able to stop the scouts before they make themselves known to the Garenhulders? Tune in to find out next time, on Dragon Ball AE!
THERE WILL BE A FOUR-HOUR MORATORIUM ON VOTES TO ALLOW DISCUSSION, AND THE VOTE WILL BE OPEN FOR TWO OR MORE DAYS TO LET EVERYBODY GET THEIR VOICE IN
