@PoptartProdigy : How different is Ki from Chakra? Could Kakara make a rasengan?
Edit: I just thought of a useful Ki experiment. Try to listen in on other people's telepathy. It should give quite a bit of a boost to our intrigue and it works to Kakara's strengths as a ki prodigy and having awesome ki sense. Is listening in on other people's telepathy already a thing or can Kakara invent it?
Well, SBC has the "compact energy drills through enemy" part, and Kienzan has the "spinny slicy" part. One could probably argue for a meleee Ki technique that replicates the effects, albeit likely not with quite the same "spinning threads of chakra" thing. Not sure elemental infusion is likely though.
Edit: I just thought of a useful Ki experiment. Try to listen in on other people's telepathy. It should give quite a bit of a boost to our intrigue and it works to Kakara's strengths as a ki prodigy and having awesome ki sense. Is listening in on other people's telepathy already a thing or can Kakara invent it?
Telepathy is point-to-point unless the connection is fraying. The present state of the art in eavesdropping is directly interposing yourself in the line of communication. You could research other means. One thing for eavesdropping otherwise is Mind Delve, or direct mind reading.
Different systems entirely, on top of my having never seen Naruto. Suffice to say, Chakra doesn't exist here.
Telepathy is point-to-point unless the connection is fraying. The present state of the art in eavesdropping is directly interposing yourself in the line of communication. You could research other means. One thing for eavesdropping otherwise is Mind Delve, or direct mind reading.
@How are these for ki exercises.
[]Ki exercise: You can already learn about your surroundings by pinging it with your aura. Take this a step further put your aura into things in order to learn everything about them. Secondary application: put your direct your aura between people in order to intercept telepathy.
[]Ki exercise: Better living though ki. Go over your daily routine and try and think of ways to do everything faster/better. From brushing your teeth (burn away the plaque), brushing your hair (your transformation changes your hair maybe you can do that in a controlled way), sleeping (meditation) and even sitting (hover right above your chair) try and make everything you can into a ki exercise.
@PoptartProdigy : How different is Ki from Chakra? Could Kakara make a rasengan?
Edit: I just thought of a useful Ki experiment. Try to listen in on other people's telepathy. It should give quite a bit of a boost to our intrigue and it works to Kakara's strengths as a ki prodigy and having awesome ki sense. Is listening in on other people's telepathy already a thing or can Kakara invent it?
@How are these for ki exercises.
[]Ki exercise: You can already learn about your surroundings by pinging it with your aura. Take this a step further put your aura into things in order to learn everything about them. Secondary application: put your direct your aura between people in order to intercept telepathy.
[]Ki exercise: Better living though ki. Go over your daily routine and try and think of ways to do everything faster/better. From brushing your teeth (burn away the plaque), brushing your hair (your transformation changes your hair maybe you can do that in a controlled way), sleeping (meditation) and even sitting (hover right above your chair) try and make everything you can into a ki exercise.
In general, those would be through "New Tricks," but yes, those are absolutely things you could try. The first would develop in the direction of a skill. The second would likely terminate in a new trait reflecting that specialization of ki use.
In general, those would be through "New Tricks," but yes, those are absolutely things you could try. The first would develop in the direction of a skill. The second would likely terminate in a new trait reflecting that specialization of ki use.
Definitely want to try this later then. Also, PP can we learn Gotenk's Kamikaze Ghost attack? There has to be a lot we can do with self-aware ki constructs that can manipulate their own ki.
I'm wondering if we can make it more stable and use it to mass-apply all these ki tricks we're planning on using, since they are more high control, low power skills.
Definitely want to try this later then. Also, PP can we learn Gotenk's Kamikaze Ghost attack? There has to be a lot we can do with self-aware ki constructs that can manipulate their own ki.
I'm wondering if we can make it more stable and use it to mass-apply all these ki tricks we're planning on using, since they are more high control, low power skills.
Definitely want to try this later then. Also, PP can we learn Gotenk's Kamikaze Ghost attack? There has to be a lot we can do with self-aware ki constructs that can manipulate their own ki.
I'm wondering if we can make it more stable and use it to mass-apply all these ki tricks we're planning on using, since they are more high control, low power skills.
Ah, too bad. Though given that we know Tien's technique, which creates actual flesh and blood copies, creating copies made of ki may not be so difficult. At the very least we have a starting point.
Also, his Galactic Donut. As a binding technique, Kakara might be interested to learn that one.
EDIT:
Ah, too bad. Though given that we know Tien's technique, which creates actual flesh and blood copies, creating copies made of ki may not be so difficult. At the very least we have a starting point.
As mentioned, they're lost, but you definitely do have a starting point for the one. As for the Donut, that may be something you can develop independently.
Well, SBC has the "compact energy drills through enemy" part, and Kienzan has the "spinny slicy" part. One could probably argue for a meleee Ki technique that replicates the effects, albeit likely not with quite the same "spinning threads of chakra" thing. Not sure elemental infusion is likely though.
Rasengan should definitely be possible. Special Beam Cannon should a good base for that as it supposed to really concentrate energy and fire it at the enemy. The concentration lets it hurt enemies that are stronger than the user as seen with Raditz and in
Super vs Frieza.
All we need to do to is make it melee and explosive, which IMO is fairly plausible. Adding elemental effects to it, well... Dodonpa has a burning effect which might be interesting to play with.
At this point since we're starting out run out of stuff to train, maybe it might be a good idea to list what tricks we'll think are useful and figure out ways to achieve that rather than the other way around?
I am feeling desperate for an update so to have something to do I started planning next year's activities.
Attend School (Mandatory, choose one of the following): Time-consuming, tiring, and the part that you're most likely to be discovered doing. Unfortunately, you really have no choice. Current grades: trending A-. Effect: Attend school.
-[ ] Slack (1 action): You have better things to do! Slack off on schoolwork to focus on other pursuits. Effect: Possible grade loss. You're smart and this is primary school, you you have a decent chance of not dropping a grade.
I just can't see anything we can learn in public school worth the effort. Maybe if we knew what the classes were.
[ ] Improve Masque Affinity (1 action): The human world of Garenhuld offers many intriguing possibilities. Now that you're comfortable in your Masque, you feel that you could explore them...but you also know that you could improve your Masque to increase the amount of power available to you in it. Effect: Grind your Masque Affinity, improving your transformation time and available power level while in human form. Success in this is guaranteed with any amount of time investment; the only thing in question is how much you'll improve by.
-[ ] By sparring with Maya as you train with her.
Two birds with one stone. Also The best time to grab Jacob will be in the Masquerade we want to be able to access at much power as possible in case something goes wrong. So more like 3 birds.
[ ] Train Ki Manipulation (2 actions): You already have something of a gift in this, although again Jaffur proved more skilled in the combat applications. Maybe you could close that gap. Effect: Train your skill in ki manipulation, and thereby your facility in its involved talents. You are enough of a prodigy that you would suffer no maluses to improvement here.
If we don't do at least one action on the warrior path our skills have a chance of going down and the multi body technique is not on the list.
[] Train Specific Skill (1 action, may be taken multiple times) Multiform (Still keeping it a secret)
We are getting practice from using it to multitask however. We should spend some time making sure we are not developing any bad habits. Also our communications with ourselves seem rather basic. We should be able to do more in depth telepathy with ourself. Become a proper hivemind. Multiform should give a perfect alibi when breaking the seal.
[]Train Specific Skill (1 action, may be taken multiple times) Telepathy
Breaking the seal has alot of different teams involved. We need to keep coordinated.
[ ] Train With Sensei (1 action): Nothing for it but time. Effect: Grind your talent in Seer abilities. Sensei tells you that this will be gruelingly hard, and take years to master no matter how much of a prodigy you are.
Might as well. We had to roll a hundred to be a seer so it must be usefull.
[ ] New Tricks (1 action): Better living through ki. Go over your daily routine and try and think of ways to do everything faster/better. From brushing your teeth (burn away the plaque), brushing your hair (your transformation changes your hair maybe you can do that in a controlled way), sleeping (meditation) and even sitting (hover right above your chair) try and make everything you can into a ki exercise.
QM said that this should give us a trait. I think it might make us better with Ki. Also if we use Ki all the time no one will think it that odd if they sense a flash of it when we zip Jacob away.
[] New Tricks (1 action):Ki can be used to make air flow around you without being distributed. Can the same be done with water or earth? What about light? Invisibility.
I think this might also be a path to being able to hide your power when powered up. We need to control our aura. We are going to be doing some sneaky stuff when breaking the seal best to have a sneaky skill.
[] Smash the Seal (1 action): You have waited long enough and know all you need to, in your estimation. Go. Gather what you have, and go. Effect: Go with whatever you've accomplished by year's end, and try to break the Seal.
We have prepared long enough. We have a plan and allies it has been 4 years. Too long.
That is 9 actions. We should have at least 13 hopefully more. I was not sure what social actions to take or what would be available.
Y'know the player who insists on sinking all their skill points into underwater basket weaving because it's a part of their personal non-canon conception of their character's cultural background despite everybody including the GM insisting that it is both mechanically and narratively unnecessary and wasteful? The one who simply doesn't care about shared reality and compulsively has to do it in order to assuage their own personal head-canon no matter the cost?
That argument. There's no point to reason or debate over it- it just comes down to voting them down.
Y'know the player who insists on sinking all their skill points into underwater basket weaving because it's a part of their personal non-canon conception of their character's cultural background despite everybody including the GM insisting that it is both mechanically and narratively unnecessary and wasteful? The one who simply doesn't care about shared reality and compulsively has to do it in order to assuage their own personal head-canon no matter the cost?
That argument. There's no point to reason or debate over it- it just comes down to voting them down.
I was referring to the "Chances of losing a grade are low, and easily recovered at this point," and "Kakara has a 0% chance of acquiring a 'slacker' trait", responses to concerns that prioritizing other concerns on the even of a rebellious insurrection and alien invasion will result in a permanently crippled character addicted to "slacking".
I was referring to the "Chances of losing a grade are low, and easily recovered at this point," and "Kakara has a 0% chance of acquiring a 'slacker' trait", responses to concerns that prioritizing other concerns on the even of a rebellious insurrection and alien invasion will result in a permanently crippled character addicted to, "slacking".
Actually, the 'we won't slack next time' was only the first year, back in the good ol' times in which there weren't sides but just a need of actions. The second time was an argument between mechanics (slacking at schoolwork resulting in more actions with little real change given that Kakara is smart enough to pick up the slack if her grades drop, which is unlikely in the early years) vs flavor and characterization (wanting to be good at everything in both lifes, not pulling away from the human world, not dismissing general education in favor of a more focused one and present conception on the importance of knowledge).
More likely than not we will have the argument again and again until either we have a grade drop (most likely not this turn or the next) or until a side makes a compelling argument from the other perspective; namely if the slacking side (name misleading since she doesn't slack in other things) makes an argument about why ignoring schoolwork makes Kakara a better person or if the grades side proves that touse extra actions on schoolwork gives an advantage in terms of games mechanics that is better than having an extra action per year.
[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
