I am almost done. That said, it's late, I'm exhausted, and I'm pretty sure that when I look at this in the morning, I'm gonna scream at all the typos. I'm surrendering to common sense, signing off, and returning in the morning. See y'all soon!
[ ] Planet Zebul. It has absolutely everything you need, if you can just dodge the soldiers. Dazarel has a point; Bassoon's used to doing just that, and the Refugees will be out of their element. And a part of you really wants to find out what the dragon has to teach you...
(Top Three.)
[X][ASK] How has Bassoon's anti-psychic measures held up in the past?
"Pretty darn well. Not often, but the time I needed them, the psychic went off to cry in a corner.
"Seeing as we were fighting at the time, that went poorly for him."
[X][ASK] Basssoon, could you give me a quick rundown of your abilities?
"I could."
...
"Heh, your face. I'm a warrior of my people's style, drawing inspiration from the tales and records left by the Earth warrior Piccolo. You of course know my power level well enough, you've felt it before. I'm also a mage, albeit not the strongest one. I'll never be a grand sorcerer, but I've learned a fair amount of magic suited to helping me in a fight. Mostly themed around the idea of motion. Other than that, nothing stands out. I regenerate. Do Exiles remember that?"
[X][ASK] How powerful are infantry blasters?
"How powerful are saiyans? Infantry blasters are built to fill specific roles. How powerful they are depends on how big they are, who's making them, and who they're meant to kill. Rumor has it that the Galactic Patrol has the best blaster technology out there. Couldn't tell you if it's true or not. In terms of what we're likely to see, there's anything from old Freeze-Era tech that barely hits two thousand units on a good day to things that could make me think twice, although it gets a lot rarer the better it is."
Crowded Spaces
You tilt your head back, thinking for a moment. It's a quick decision, though. "Zebul." You never have been able to resist the allure of an enticingly shiny unknown.
Bassoon grumbles in discontent. 'You sure, Kakara? We only have Dazarel's word to go on, and I don't like trusting him.'
'You die, I die,' replies Dazarel, positively preening. 'You can't buy better trust than that.' He hops up onto your shoulders.
'I'd be cautious of any loyalty that I bought in the first place,' replies Bassoon.
"Still, definitely tells us a bit about how our little dragon thinks," you say, rolling your eyes.
'I am realistic,' he sniffs, settling in.
You sigh. "You're a cynical monster, and I'm not going to forget it just because you're small." You push away from the tree and start flying.
Bassoon shakes his head. 'This feels wrong, making a decision on Dazarel's word. Still, he makes good points, and if he really has something to teach you...' He hesitates for a moment. Then he turns to the navigation console and selects Zebul. Space begins to twist outside as Bassoon settles back into his chair. 'I suppose every little bit helps.'
"We'll be fine, Bassoon," you say. "Trust me."
'It's not trusting you that's the problem.'
* * *
The journey is relatively quick. Zebul is, by Bassoon's ship, only a day's journey away. There's a reason it's a favorite of the refugees for rest stops. As the ship flies, you rest and recover from your exertions over Arcosa, your Sight returning to you. You start to reach out and scan ahead for dangers on the path to Zebul, but Dazarel stops you.
'We will need that later,' he explains, peering at the side of your face from his perch on your shoulder. 'Your training will be intensive, and I doubt that I will have very long to work with you. Let the slug do his job. Focus on your own.'
In the end, you accede to that. If you're going after his training, you'll trust that he's competent to give it.
You aren't entirely idle, though.
* * *
Bassoon's aura, a perfect white, flares around him. He nods, taking a deep breath. "Now."
Within his mindscape, you set your hands to the ground and push out with your ki. Your aura flares. "Ha!"
You immediately cut off the flow of ki, shooting to your feet and away from the ground entirely, just to be safe. "What's wrong?! Are you okay?"
Bassoon hops up and down on his toes, shaking out his arms. "Agh, that stings! Okay, that did not play nice with my ki. My head!"
He scrunches his eyes closed and cradles his forehead.
You release an irritated sigh. "Why didn't it work? This makes no sense."
"It doesn't," replies Bassoon, opening his eyes again with a shudder. "Then again, there's not much about our situation that's normal."
You fume quietly to yourself, trying to figure out where you went wrong. Nothing comes to mind, for now.
* * *
Eventually, the day passes, and Bassoon's ship appears facing the night side of Zebul.
The planet itself is a patchwork of lights. Zebul is the most heavily urbanized planet you can imagine. Garenhuld, from space, looks like it has glowing pimples from how tightly its people tend to cluster. Zebul is just blanketed. That's not the most striking thing about it, though. The planet is, as you knew before coming, completely surrounded by massive orbital stations. Countless blobs float around the planet, and the equator is overshadowed by a single, grand ring, with strand-like docks protruding at regular intervals.
You get a great chance to observe the ring station as Bassoon brings you into a dock on its surface, his ship still under stealth. "We'll be able to find an empty berth here," he says, scanning the station for an entry point. "This part of the station is uninhabited."
"What happened to all the people?" you ask.
"The Refugees happened," replies Bassoon in a grim voice. The console chimes, and he start floating into an empty spot. "Welcome to Little Arcosa, Kakara. What's left of it, at least."
As Bassoon brings you through the station's air shields and into the docking bay, you see what he means. The place is halfway ripped apart. Blast marks and great rents show all along the walls, floor, and ceiling. No hull breaches, but still plenty of damage. Strange stains mark most surfaces. There's something missing, though, something which gives you a momentary flicker of hope.
Bassoon immediately crushes that, though. "They cleared out the bodies, afterwards. They were worried about the health hazard." He pushes up from his chair. "Nobody's dared to really push into this area since then. We won't be disturbed." He turns and sets off for the airlock.
* * *
The empty hallways of Little Arcosa are the single scariest place you've ever been. They echo, as all parts of this station naturally would, but here there's virtually no noise to cover that up. The battle damage remains; the stains remain. Yet still, not a body in sight. You want to shudder so badly that it sets a constant tingle along your skin. If you needed any reminder that your universe has always been a brutal and merciless place, the sight of the empty quarter serves well enough. You're glad that Bassoon swiftly exits the empty section of the station and you find yourself in public areas once more.
Bassoon, by contrast, tenses up, drawing a hooded cloak around himself to hide his face. 'Right,' he says, peering around warily. 'Dazarel, if you're serious about this training, now's the time. I'm going to focus on finding a discreet place to get us water and fuel.'
'Very well,' replies the dragon from somewhere far off in Bassoon's mindscape.
'Good luck, Kakara,' says Bassoon, setting off into the crowds.
"Thanks," you answer, looking around for the dragon.
He's nowhere in sight, but he then starts speaking to you. 'Only you will hear me, now. No secrets, but I'd rather not have the slug listening in. So, Ape Princess, you're a seer. A Kanassan seer, no less, for all that your ancestors were the ones to purge them. Must be quite the tale. I've no time for it, though. We've much to do, and I have much to teach you.'
'What about?' you reply, folding your arms. 'You're not a seer, I know that much. We wouldn't have beaten you if you were.'
'Likely true,' admits Dazarel. 'Still, I do have knowledge, truly earned. I am old, and I have seen much. Tell me, Kakara, what do you know of my gifts?' he asks. You blink at the non-sequitur.
'I know that you can move things around and read minds at a distance,' you say. 'You're psychic, but not in a way we've ever seen before. You can do things a lot easier than any other psychic we've hear of.'
'Psychics are rare, ones of my strength even more so,' replies Dazarel. 'I am not surprised at their obscurity.' He chuckles. 'That said, you have met psychics other than me.'
You hear a quiet rustle behind you; spinning, you see Dazarel, sitting down. 'Don't do that.'
He tilts his head. 'One day, you will understand why that is a foolish thing to ask, and on that day we will celebrate your achievements.' He stands. 'Psychic abilities come in many forms, innate to the individuals gifted with them. My gifts are telekinesis and external mental effects, and both in grand quantities. Some have internal mental gifts. Some stop time. And others...See.'
Your eyes widen. 'The Sight is a psychic ability?'
'Now perhaps you understand its rarity,' he says. 'Yes, it is, although a very atypical one. I studied, for a time, with the Kanassans in my youth. Despite my skill with my own gifts, I was wholly unable to pick up even a basic proficiency in Sight. Usually, I can get some minimal amount of ability in a gift outside my own, although nothing more. For instance, I can produce ice, although not in useful amounts.'
'So that's why Grandpa Gohan ordered you to help me,' you say. 'He knew that you were a psychic, so you could teach me the basics!'
'Indeed he did,' answers Dazarel, nodding his head. 'And that is my plan. From there, it will be up to you to develop your own, personal gift. I can be of far less use to you there.'
'That's better than I thought I'd get,' you reply, straightening.
Dazarel regards you with casual disinterest. 'Very well.' He stands. 'Psychics are individuals blessed with the ability to rewrite reality through willpower alone. Through sheer concentration and mental effort, we will it, and it is so. There are of course vast realms of difference between lifting a stone and, say, subtly impeding one's opponents...' He bares teeth. '...but the underlying principle does not change. You will be subconsciously familiar with this process; you use it every time you have a vision. There is no need to cover it in detail. Instead, we turn to your particular gifts.'
'I have others?' you ask, hope surging in your chest. If there's anything you have that could be useful...
That said, Dazarel immediately shakes his head. 'Almost certainly not. Kanassan Sight was always notorious as a rather jealous gift. Almost without exception, it consumes the whole of an individual's potential. Most can hope for two, perhaps three. Kanassan Sight typically comes alone. That said, it is not a waste of time. We will begin with my own -- and here we see why I voted to come here.' He looks up into the sky, at the crowds through which Bassoon is walking.
You look blankly for a moment before understanding strikes. You scowl. 'You want me to try to mind control people.'
'In order to test whether or not you have a gift for external mental effects, yes,' sniffs Dazarel. 'I wouldn't worry. You'll have no practice with it, even if you do have a gift. You'll achieve nothing.' He glances up at your unchanging expression and sighs. 'Very well. We shall begin with simple sensing.'
In the real world, Bassoon heads into a small, dim building. As his eyes adjust, you see that it looks like a bar. The atmosphere is quiet and strained, and Bassoon's entrance draws everybody's eyes. He ignores them, heading for a table in the corner where a bulbous pink alien lounges, looking through some records. As you watch, your host sits, greets the alien, and starts negotiating the sale and delivery of some starship fuel.
'Why we've come to civilization only to engage in this cloak-and-dagger nonsense escapes me,' remarks Dazarel. 'We're on a station, just order in.'
'He must have a reason,' you reply, sighing. 'Just trust him, he's experienced in this.'
Dazarel shrugs. 'Very well. Still, this presents an opportunity. Our trading partner can be our test subject. Reach out with your ki senses, Princess.'
Doing so is the matter of the barest flicker of attention by this point. Twenty-seven. 'Easy. What's next?'
'Next, we see if you have any talents for manipulating other minds,' replies Dazarel, taking off and swooping around you. 'You can already feel the alien's life. Now you must try to find its mind. Push for it. Impose your will; you can touch this being's mind. You will. There is no question about it. To touch the mind of another is your own, natural gift.'
You grimace at Dazarel's phrasing, but do as he says. You close your eyes, concentrating on the alien's ki signature in your mind. You focus on it and envision yourself reaching out towards its head with a little filament of thoughts. For a moment, nothing happens, and you frown to yourself.
'You are not doing it right,' snaps Dazarel. 'This is not ki. You are not trying to touch the alien's mind by weaving a connection of energy to it. You do not have to justify to the universe why this works. It is enough that you will it so. You can touch the mind. There is no room for doubt. Nothing else could be so. Now do it, unless you are too weak-willed to do what I could do before I even hatched!'
Your eyelid twitches at the taunt. Little jerk, you think to yourself. Fine! See what I can do! You slam your will down on the issue as though forcing yourself to stand through training exhaustion. I can feel you.
It feels like glass shattering. A barrier you never knew existed gives way, and you feel...something...tumbling along towards the alien at great speed. And then...
'He is desperate for these supplies. He will accept a worse price, if I push. And that's even aside from the charge for discretion!'
The voice is strange, and after a moment of disorientation you match it to the noises you hear echoing in through Bassoon's ears -- the alien's voice, a voice that sounds like the croak of a frog.
'Ah...' says Dazarel. 'Nicely done.'
'I can hear his thoughts!' you say, eyes flying open.
'Indeed. This is the most basic of a psychic's gifts; what nearly all of us can do, given time or effort. On you, it is already the sign of something exceptional; Kanassan Sight, as I said, is very jealous. Most of its original bearers could not even do this.' He lands on your shoulders. 'Now, tell me what the fat one is thinking.'
You frown up at the sky. 'He's thinking that Bassoon is desperate and will pay a lot more than he should.' You listen further and your eyes widen. 'The refugees have been searching the station! The alien thinks Bassoon might be the one they're looking for. And-' You grimace in contempt. 'He's thinking that he can use that to make Bassoon pay even more.'
'Troublesome,' hisses Dazarel in a silky voice. 'We can't have that, can we?'
'No!' you reply, half-stepping forward out of restless energy.
'Then we must do something about it,' says Dazarel. 'You already feel the alien's mind. Now you must touch it. Reach further, Kakara. Find where these thoughts are coming from.'
Ability revealed: Psychic. Seer abilities re-classified as such.
Do you do as Dazarel says?
[ ](x1.1) Yes. New abilities are a tool, and you need all the tools you can get. Dandeer specializes in sealing minds; you could use every tool you can lay hands on to counter her in that arena.
[ ] No. Tools are all well and good, but you are wary of the potential of the techniques Dazarel is implying. You don't even know if you truly have a gift for this sort of psychic power, anyway.
[ ] Write-in. I'm sure y'all can find some way to complicate this.
MANUAL MORATORIUM; APPROVAL VOTING.
And we're back!
Thanks for waiting around, folks. I'll be back to more regular posting now. Hopefully, I should also soon pick up a replacement computer of my very own, and be able to get back to work properly.
As a quick reminder, I offer support to write-ins; at any point prior to the vote unlock, feel free to tag me with your write-in, and I'll feature it in the unlock post so that people will see it.
Glad to see y'all again, folks; I'll see you around the thread! Enjoy the update; bye!
[] Yes. New abilities are a tool, and you need all the tools you can get. Dandeer specializes in sealing minds; you could use every tool you can lay hands on to counter her in that arena.
[] Yes. New abilities are a tool, and you need all the tools you can get. Dandeer specializes in sealing minds; you could use every tool you can lay hands on to counter her in that arena.
I'm leery about using mind altering abilities, but it's not really a rational fear. In terms of danger, we have much better options, and I have fairly high faith in both the thread and Kakara. If we stay as we are, it's mostly just more options and less need for brute force, albeit not as useful as it might be for others since charisma is still very effective and less damaging when caught. If we change, then we'd pick it up then anyway and lack of mental options is unlikely to be our limiting factor.
As for the vote, I'm provisionally going to lean towards the Yes vote. Even if we never use it on anyone else, I'd be interested to see what the self applications could be if we used it on ourselves. While I highly doubt it can be used to completely no-sell Dandeer's seal, I do wonder if maybe somewhere down the line it could be used to set up a coup de main by having our allies strike at dandeer while we return to our body and mind control the seal personality into performing a sneak attack while she is distracted/unprotected.
Also, if I'm remembering correctly, Kakara has the Ambitious trait, and would most likely say yes... in fact... @PoptartProdigy , does this choice trigger the Ambitious trait's vote weighing?
As for the vote, I'm provisionally going to lean towards the Yes vote. Even if we never use it on anyone else, I'd be interested to see what the self applications could be if we used it on ourselves. While I highly doubt it can be used to completely no-sell Dandeer's seal, I do wonder if maybe somewhere down the line it could be used to set up a coup de main by having our allies strike at dandeer while we return to our body and mind control the seal personality into performing a sneak attack while she is distracted/unprotected.
Also, if I'm remembering correctly, Kakara has the Ambitious trait, and would most likely say yes... in fact... @PoptartProdigy , does this choice trigger the Ambitious trait's vote weighing?
[] Yes. New abilities are a tool, and you need all the tools you can get. Dandeer specializes in sealing minds; you could use every tool you can lay hands on to counter her in that arena.
It has unethical implications but both Kakara and th thread have been very good in restraining ourselves and debating morality.
[ ] No. Tools are all well and good, but you are wary of the potential of the techniques Dazarel is implying. You don't even know if you truly have a gift for this sort of psychic power, anyway.
- [ ] It's impressive that we were able to do this much, but he's just suspicious, nothing more. Inform Bassoon about this and see if he has a way around this other than relying on an untested capability.
[] Give Dazarel a rundown on your talents in the Sight. Maybe your oddly fast progress in mind projection makes sense in terms of psychic talents?
It's really imprudent to go ahead with this. It's very possible that all this will do is confirm his suspicions. If were going to do this, I'd suggest practicing on non-sentient animals or something before trying it on people.
I'd compare it to poison -- in the right cases and the proper doses it can be used as a medication.
Hell, if all Dandeer had sealed were Jaffur's memories of certain actions and his ability to get angry*, I'd probably have supported it. I don't see antidepressants as unethical and they are certainly a mind altering substance.
*Ignoring the question of if that would be possible, or the exact side effects of doing it for the moment
Unpack this? I'm not sure how an active ability can be unethical. Passive ones, certainly, but that's more the case of <this use case is of the ability is unethical> crossing badly with <this use case of the ability is unavoidable>.
[ ][x1.1] Yes. New abilities are a tool, and you need all the tools you can get. Dandeer specializes in sealing minds; you could use every tool you can lay hands on to counter her in that arena.
-[ ] Tell Bassoon what you're about to do and why, so he doesn't get taken by surprise (and in case he has a better argument against it than "messing with the head of the guy who wants to sell you to your deaths is eeevil.")
[ ][x1.1] Yes. New abilities are a tool, and you need all the tools you can get. Dandeer specializes in sealing minds; you could use every tool you can lay hands on to counter her in that arena.
-[ ] Tell Bassoon what you're about to do and why, so he doesn't get taken by surprise (and in case he has a better argument against it than "messing with the head of the guy who wants to sell you to your deaths is eeevil."
Also, I'm pretty sure that even reading someone's thoughts is unethical, so it's a sliding scale. Mind Control to protect is less unethical than, for instance, beating someone into a bloody pulp to protect yourself. Mind control to free a slave or POW is less unethical than many other ways I can think of to do it.
In short, mental control or suggestion is only as unethical as the use towards which it is put, and Kakara generally is ethical in her use of her abilities.
So, y'know, crime is only wrong when criminals do it. Since we aren't a criminal, we can do crime!
Hm, so if we do have an existing connection going, can we use it to springboard past defenses that would ordinarily stop us? Like, if we forge a Ki telepathy link with a mage, can we psychic our way past their defenses despite it not working with just one or the other? I imagine reinforcing an existing phenomenon is easier than Reality-Warping something into happening.
...We could probably use mind control to cooperate with Bassoon if he was willing to trust us with it. Could let him focus on mage-stuff while we do the fighting.
[ ][x1.1] Yes. New abilities are a tool, and you need all the tools you can get. Dandeer specializes in sealing minds; you could use every tool you can lay hands on to counter her in that arena.
-[ ] Tell Bassoon what you're about to do and why, so he doesn't get taken by surprise (and in case he has a better argument against it than "messing with the head of the guy who wants to sell you to your deaths is eeevil.")
I would also vote for:
[ ] No, because you're feeling paranoid. You may indeed be willing to use this tool in other circumstances, but you want to leave as few traces of your existence as possible, and there's a significant chance of this dealer being interrogated by a psychic in the near future. You don't trust your newfound powers to be subtle yet.
Welp, this update confirms that trying to donate Ki mid-fight earlier would have ended poorly. Still not sure entirely why it is doing this, but, good to know.
I'm not 100% opposed to any shade of mind control ever, but I'm also leery of diving right into that right now.
Further, I think it would probably be good to not try doing that without warning Bassoon, in case it throws him for a loop (sort of like how our Ki donation threw him for a loop), or becomes more obvious than it should be.
Also, the hypocrisy of "well it's okay if we do mind control, but we hates Dandeer forever for her mind control" is hilarious.