A Moment Too Late

[Deleted]

The namekian clone ricochets through the green skies at full throttle. His power was set just over 100,000 as the other half remained with the original back in Dunalan Village. With the split in power came the split in size as well, standing over five times his original height, the giant was like a really big fly in the overall scheme which nobody seemed to understand. He wished he was at Yemall Village with the others, but all he could do was wait for the Elder to reply to his telepathic message and shed light upon the status of things.

Why was the sky so abnormally darkened? Who or what was causing all this destruction? Why did a power level suddenly dive from the radar and which rose to such an astounding height? Did Ancient City have a connection, or is this something else entirely? These were all troublesome questions and it irked him that he couldn’t get an answer. Geu-Rin couldn’t have arrived yet, if he did, Basna would have noticed. But right now, there was one ominous power which was clearly stronger than anyone currently on the planet. Namek seemed so peaceful before he left to Vegeta and now chaos had broken out on every corner of the universe.

His eyes widened. Smoke rose from the faint city at the horizon and he could no longer see the few skyscrapers which had been built. His speed picked up and he hurriedly arrived to the remains of Namek’s first settlement. The sky above was blotched out with thunderclouds. An ominous breeze blew effortlessly through the barren land only to feed more oxygen to the scorching flames.

Basna flinched and stepped back. For a moment, he had mistaken the red flames for black ones and then the visage of that dreadful namekian flashed through his mind. Basna panicked and raised his hands over his head, cringed, and kept his distance from the fire. In his face, reason was inscribed, as there laid an eternal memoire of the day he was scarred for life…

The smell of death protruded through his curled nose much like it had back on Saru City. Perhaps, being namekians, made the smell stronger. But there was definitely an acrid and intolerable stench spreading through the area. Buildings destroyed, limbs torn apart and scattered, purple blood spilled and splattered across the tarnished ground and the lifeless eyes staring hopelessly at a sky which was no longer there.

Walking over the debris and observing the result with a hand held tightly over his nose; the people’s faces were as they had seen a terrible monster. Of course, only a monster could have been capable of this, but how could he not have sensed such terrible power before this happened?

[hewhostandsalone]

The red alien's speed was nothing to scoff at by normal means, but the majority of people on this planet right now other than the simple villagers were all leaps and bounds ahead of him save for a couple. It took a bit, but the smouldering ashes of the once great Ancient City finally came into his view. Along with the view of the destroyed city came the visage of a very large Namekian figure moving through the rubble of the city. As he got closer and closer the figure grew larger.

He had not anticipated the city to be in shambles so quickly. The way the Elder had talked in his message to them, the city might have been salvageable still. But this was very different. He recalled seeing this Namekian before in Danalan village. Had he relocated here to try and save the city as well? That's what Zig hoped. He descended from the sky near the oddly oversized Namekian and took a closer look at the carnage.

It was practically a bloodbath. This was far worse than anything Gerrek had witnessed before. If he didn't know any better, he'd think this was an act of war rather than just a small group of individuals looking to take the planet. Then again, given their group's average power so far, that wasn't much of a stretch. But why hadn't anyone sensed this particular attacker before it was too late?

They had all, save for one or two, foolishly left their posts to try and help the Elder. Now it seemed that they were falling apart in concern to their protection mission. He sighed heavily and shook his head. What a mess they'd gotten into...

[Ark Ghiest]

He wasn’t running from the fight, but simply getting out of the way. Watching the giant ape lap at his red lips, savoring the taste of the pour soul he had literally just devoured Ark did not envy those that were remaining in this village; those that he hoped could handle this monster. Sailing just over the top of the strange pink fog, trying to stay as low as possible to avoid the lightning that streaked the skies he would make his way towards the Ancient City. If there was anything good that had come from that apes appearance it was that it was attracting a large part of the bolts, its large muscular form not seeming all that affected by the sizzling bolts. As he flies over the mist a particular section would flash a number of times in quick succession, almost as if there as active lightning within the strange substance as well, but he could not be sure.

Even as he starts to pull away from the village the human could not pull his eyes away from the strange sight, the pink mist standing out in stark contrast to the dark clouds. Just out of the village Ark would hear a strange scream, closer to a shriek than a scream really. Even at this distance it hurt his ears some; the human thankful that he wasn’t closer to whatever it was that had let out the horrible sound. It had sounded female almost, higher pitch then he would expect from a male, yet again it was something he could not be sure of, but either way it had not sounded human. Right after that his eyes would widen some as the furry beast launches itself into the air, covering a decent amount of distance before slamming back to the earth. Despite the creatures size it possessed frightening speed, again reassuring Ark that he had no place in this village. Still he knew Drexx, Orenji and others remained…”Good luck.”

He needed to focus, needed to leave those monsters to the others. Looking up he could see the strange red creature ahead of him, heading towards the Ancient City as well it would seem. The human would pace the other, keeping the distance between them constant as they travel. Something had befallen the city, the Elder had made that clear, but that was all he knew. As he travels he would focus, trying to sense anything in the direction of the old city, but there was almost nothing…wait he could feel one individual of considerable power level, but how could that be it? He should have been able to sense multiple power signatures….was this one he was sensing the cause for the lack of others?

Before the city would actually come into view Ark could see smoke rising into the air, a tell tale sign that it had at least sustained some damage. How wrong he was. Getting closer he could now see the decrepit state the city was in, buildings in ruin and bodies scattered across the ground. Pulling up short of actually landing in the city his stomach would churn some, the stench rising up into the air, the stench of death. Having lived a peaceful life he was not that familiar with murder, and not on this scale, how could anyone be? Scanning the city disbelief would crowd his mind at the sheer destruction that had befallen it. Swallowing some he would start to lower down, having lost track of the red alien once they had gotten close, his attention drawn by the horrible scene before him.

Setting down the smell would almost overwhelm him, his hand coming up over his mouth and nose, now able to see the gruesome details. There were body parts littering the ground, blood and gore splatter amongst the ruined buildings. Turning slowly he could not avoid seeing the carnage, the looks on the faces of the dead frozen in visages of horror. Even the children had been slaughtered with abandon, the humans legs buckling as he drops to his knees. Clutching his abdomen he could no longer hold in the small lunch he had enjoyed earlier in the day, doubling over as he vomits. Normally the smell of that alone would be putrid, but he couldn’t even smell it over the stench that permeated the area.

After finishing with the dry heaves that followed Ark would be panting a little, slowly shoving back up to his feet. He could feel his stomach still churning, the sickening stench still filling his nostrils as he scans the area for the red alien he had followed. It wouldn’t take long to locate the alien’s signature, and it was close to the other one he had sensed upon his arrival. Steadying himself he would lift off the ground and head in their direction, doing his best to keep his eyes forward instead of down. It would not take him long to catch up with the other individual that had just left Yemall Village, the creature having set down near the other signature. It looked to be a Namekian, yet close to five times the size of those one would normally come across. Ark was still skeptical of the Namekian’s presence, but the red alien had set down near him, apparently not thinking the large creature a threat. Landing several yards away the human would make his way toward the two, with both of his hands tucked into the pockets of his pants, offering them a slight nod as he approaches.

[Deleted]

The wind bewails in this spiteful act of vindication. Morale has fallen but the act of mass murder –or even genocide, served as stimulus to the pretentious namekian. Desires to grow stronger and improve his abilities have accumulated and aggravated throughout all the events that have unfold before his eye. He was powerless to stop the villainous namekian back on Vegeta and he was once again helpless against the destruction of their oldest city. Even now it seemed like a dream he was trying to repress onto the recesses of his mind. He wanted to negate the actions that have taken place and have everything restart to the beginning of the day.

Nay, nothing had changed. This was real. His antennae flicker and admonish the arrival of two warriors approaching from behind several miles away. Basna gazed over the multiple lacerations of limbs and body parts which were unable to regenerate in time to save their lives. He loathed the being that was capable of this and promised to yoke the beast to a rock and have it sink to the abyss of their emerald ocean. The outsiders currently faced with the Guru couldn’t have done it due to their locations, but it didn’t mean they weren’t associated with the events which have un-fold.

They were smart. Everyone followed the patterns of destruction and led to believe the next attacks would occur on the three mentioned villages of Yemall, Pulitu and Danalan; but nobody guessed Yemall was just a decoy to hide the total obliteration of the farthest, Ancient City. The distance was so vast nobody expected it to be the next target. But for the enemy to know of their plan and then counter it meant there must have been a traitor among them.

Knowing this, Basna turned gingerly to face his guests. They were here because of the Elder’s telepathic message, but that didn’t mean they weren’t involved with leaking information towards the enemy. His bet was on the red lizard, but that was probably just a discriminating prejudice based on the way he looked. It could have been the human just the same. Basna had seen what those ostensibly fragile things were capable of.

The namekian stood tall and glanced down at the two individuals, each with similar power levels which closely rivaled his own. Thinking again, it might have been the human after-all seeing as how he comes in with his hands in his pockets and nodding like he was one of his brothers. It could be either of them, both of them –or even none, reason that keeps the namekian at bay from charging in and blasting their little skulls against each other.

“It seems we were too late…” he snarls, squinting his eye in askance of the two.

[Jaxine]

The sun was shining... a breeze was blowing... a city was dying... it was starting to feel like a wonderful day for Jaxine. She just had to come see for herself what kind of carnage had befell the Ancient City. And upon her arrival, she was impressed.

I could have done this all myself though. she thought.

Of coarse, her first stop was the fortress to see if that old bastard had been caught in the slaughter, but she was disappointed to not have come across his corpse. She had picked up an apple from somewhere as she kicked through rubble, swiping anything small she could pawn off to the other Blood Raiders for more of her "Juice".

The powerful drug that was surely the means to her madness. She kept herself highly medicated all the time to avoid the bullshit that came with life. And right now was no different than any other day for her... she was looking for something to kill. Maybe torture first. That really depended on what she found.

And the arrival of a couple power signatures sparked her attention. After making it outside, she jumped up onto the roof of a house and sped across them until she came across the group of people who had just arrived.

Interesting bunch... she thought...

[hewhostandsalone]

Of the people gathered within the vicinity of their current location, Gerrek's senses on the spiritual level were likely the weakest of them all. He had only noticed Basna's clone because of its much higher strength above his own, as the red alien was currently in his base form to conserve energy. He only gave a momentary glance to the human when he approached. Most of his attention was on the Namekian. Judging simply from the fact that this place was his home, Gerrek expected that these events would have hit this man the hardest of the three of them. At the same time, though, Gerrek had gained a certain fondness for this planet in his past and its people had always treated him kindly during his many visits. He owed it to them to at least ensure they had proper respects paid to their graves and vengeance enacted upon those responsible for these unjust attacks.

"You have more right to be angry than either of us." A seemingly meaningless statement coming from a presumed off-worlder, but an honest statement nonetheless. Gerrek had plenty of reason to be angry, too. He had begun to realize just what had transpired here. The primary attack in Yemall was aimed only at the Elder and was meant as a distraction. Most of the fighters had been drawn to the two higher powers, leaving the other locations almost entirely undefended. With Yemall being furthest from Ancient city that would leave minimal forces to come and resist the disproportionate assault there. He didn't recall sensing any battle or even any great energy from this direction before. He had been too busy dealing with the threats at Yemall to notice. That was likely their plan all along. But now came the real issue. Sad as it was to say, standing around in a devastated city wasn't accomplishing anything other than leaving the other cities vulnerable. They had to act quickly.

"Listen, I know this is a bad time, but it's too late here. We can't do anything for these people right now. Their funerals are best left for a time when Namek is at peace again. It's tough to swallow, but we need to get back to the remaining villages aside from Yemall. It's already well defended, and with most of our forces lingering there the other locations are open for attack, too. With this attack concluded they may move to the next closest location."

He sighed heavily and shook his head as he took another glance over what of the city he could see. Things had taken a very grim turn very quickly. He only hoped the others would be able to protect the Elder. He would know what to do. For now, Zig had to focus on preventing further attempts at Genocide. As far as he was concerned this was now war and that seemed to be exactly their enemy's goal...Genocide...

[Ark Ghiest]

His casual approach was aimed to show he meant no harm, his hands in his pockets to hopefully convey that he was not looking for any sort of confrontation. Even as he closed the rest of the distance to the two aliens…or was he himself the alien in this scenario…he would do his best to keep his eyes on them, and not on the body parts he was walking past. The human’s stomach still churned, not having been mentally prepared to take in the destruction he had seen.
Glancing between the other two he would try hard to control his body language, his outer demeanor not at all portraying the uneasiness he truly felt.

In response to the large Nemakian’s words he would only nod, the destruction around them an obvious statement as to how untimely their late arrival had been. It would seem the Namekian was watching them both closely, but why shouldn’t he be? Ark and the red creature were not natives of this planet and with what had been going on he had every right to be suspicious of them, especially with the scene they now stood in.

“It seems they made fools of us, drawing our attention to Yemall so that they could lay waste to the city. Ark’s voice was quiet, his disappointment in himself quite clear in his tone. All of them had been played, but the fact he wasn’t the only one to be fooled consoled him little. They should have spread out more, there should have been more organization to their disbursement and they should not have reacted so hastily to the power spike they felt from Yemall.

"Listen, I know this is a bad time, but it's too late here. We can't do anything for these people right now. Their funerals are best left for a time when Namek is at peace again. It's tough to swallow, but we need to get back to the remaining villages aside from Yemall. It's already well defended, and with most of our forces lingering there the other locations are open for attack, too. With this attack concluded they may move to the next closest location."

Ark couldn’t agree more with the red creature’s words. There was nothing they could do for those that had already lost their lives, but they could try and prevent other such casualties. Hopefully the words just spoken would calm the large Namekian’s nerves, show him that neither of them meant to do anything, but provide assistance where they could. Ark could handle himself in combat, but he usually tried to avoid a fight if he could. It seemed that was no longer a luxury he could afford. Between the two powerful fighters in Yemall and whatever was responsible for the destruction of Ancient City it was clear now that there would be no reasoning with those that now threatened Namek and its people.

When in Yemall the defenders had not been focused beyond their own current situation, none of them having sensed what was going on here. He would not make that mistake again, planning on keeping his sense open to any and all unfamiliar power signatures. Searching the area again he would be surprised to feel another in the ruins of the city besides the two he now stood with. It was behind him, and it was definitely high enough not to be looked over.

“My name is Ark by the way and we are no longer alone.” Turning around the human would spot a woman watching them from atop a building. Looking her over she appeared to be human at first, but then he would notice the tail the creature possessed. He had heard of Saiyans and the tails they had, but had never actually met one before. Scanning her form over he would come to the assumption she was no novice to combat, her body slim but tone and the hammer she carried looked like it meant business. Was this the one that had laid waste to the city?

[Deleted]

Basna scoffed. The man named Ark was a bit late to the punch. Part of being a namekian meant they pretty much knew everything minutes, or even hours, before the other. His powerful ears backed up by his antennae served as a constant radar, which detected the person’s movements from a mile away; the sound of shoes landing against the ground and the cluttering rubble that were pushed aside by the feet. The only thing he didn’t know was how the person looked, but that could be fixed with a stolen glance.

The namekian ignored the eavesdropper and continued to press on more important matters like, what to do now?

He smirked. The burned mark that scarred the right side of his visage gave a rather sinister vibe and the white pupils suggested he was blind –and that he was. “I’m one step ahead of you,” he replied, gazing over them with his only good eye. “What you are experiencing now is a mere clone of my true body which is currently stationed at Dunalan Village. Originally, I was created to go aid Pulitu Village while the rest foolishly left their posts to help Elder Carnel. I had anticipated something like this would happen, but I didn’t expect Ancient City…” he clenched his hands. “Nobody even felt it. Nobody heard their screams… As soon as the Guru informed me of this I rushed over like yourselves, but as you can see, we were too late.”

The namekian closed his eyes, as if searching for something in the air; the lost spirits that have been taken from their land, a moment of silence for the fallen and brave men that stood until their last breath. Today was a dark day and the only thing remaining was the shadow of the wind. He turned away from the two to face the rest of the destruction. “As you said, whoever did this will probably target the closest location. Dunalan, Pulitu and Yemall village are all under protection –and if anything, they should be able to stall the enemy until we arrive. Meanwhile, the closest location would be the Elder’s Fortress.”

Unless, this is another trick and they head off for some unfortunate village far off, he thought. Basna didn’t think there would be another attack though. Not now. The enemy now knew they were vigilant and probably wouldn’t get away with a repetition. Another attack would be bold, reckless and arrogant, but in situations like these they must assume the worst possible outcome. Basna’s feet lifted off from the ground and slowly he floated across the damned city. “I will search for any clues that might trace us to the perpetrator…”

[Jaxine]

Below the group catted away. She knew what Humans were, and obviously knew Namekians. The third guy looked quite odd to her though. He looked like he could be quite vicious if he went into a primal state. She giggled at the thought of him going suddenly rabid, foaming from the mouth in a full blooded rage against the other two.

Jax flopped down into a cross legged sitting position and pulled a small injector from a satchel she carried a few things in. She pulled a rod on the back until it clicked, and an empty glass vile ejected from its center and dropped onto the roof. She cared not where it ended up from there. She was focused on getting a full vile of a red liquid from the front pocket of the satchel.

With a slide and a click, the vile was in place. She exhaled with a smile at that sweet sound and peered into the vile. She had only a few shots left before she was out... one of her comrades recommended she ration them out. Jaxine seen that as his way of telling her to quit... so he can take more for himself.

That man is dead now.

She gave the injector a spin and shoved it against her neck. It was pressure activated, and a thin needle would stick out to administer the medicine she required. It wouldn't effect her any though... just keep her mind and body going the same way it has been for over half her natural life.

Afterward, she overheard them talking about other attacks and possible targets. The human had eyed her, but the group didn't seem interested. That was good. She was hearing lots of interesting things right now. The fortress and Pulitu were undefended, and there were other possible villages around.

She just wanted these guys to get the hell out of town so she could signal her Raiders to swarm in and loot the place clean. If they stayed, she would move on to another village... a populated one... and make a mess before they picked it clean.

Jax pulled out a second vile and locked it into the injector, ready to go. The second empty vile would ting off the roof and likely follow the path of the first. Then, she would jump down to address the men directly.

She walked right up to them and clasped her hands together. "The Elder's Fortress, you say? You... you really wana put your money on that one." she asked.

She turned to its location, placing a hand on her hip and shading her eyes from the sun with her free hand. "There's nobody there! Nobody worth capturing or killing... no real point in destroying it."

She turned back to them and shrugged. "Buuuuut if thats what you wana do, go for it!" She said, starting to pace side to side slowly a couple steps. "Yeah, just leave the Elder alone to die up there and Pul- whatever its called- undefended."

She turned sharply, pointing directly at the Namekian. "Oh!" she shouted. Smiling, she slowly turned the finger towards the other two. "Has any of you even bothered to look for the fucking survivors!? I can feel a few energy signatures here and there."

She let her arm fall dead and walked up to a house. One spin on her heel and she sat down on a stone stool and pulled some fruit from the satchel. "So, look for the dying people, head to the fortress, protect the unprotected town or help the old dude. Busy schedule..."

She smiled. "Have fun."

[hewhostandsalone]

The Namekian was, understandably, quite upset by this turn of events. He imagined that the Elder was equally as upset about Ancient City being devastated. "It's fairly clear that we can't save anyone here. You should send your clone to Pulitu and one of us can follow. The other should go back to Danalan and assist you there." Thinking strategically, it wasn't a good idea to have the two weaker fighters go to either location themselves and leave a single stronger fighter in Danalan. The split technique this Namekian used was impressive, and it would definitely come in handy.

Zig all but ignored the woman that had arrived. Something about her seemed very odd, but he shoved that thought aside and looked back to his two allies. "This is likely a bad time, and please do not misunderstand my request, but do either of you know where I can find a strong bottle of fine Namekian spirits? It's been ages since I've had some and I have a feeling that it will come in very handy very soon. And before you ask questions, just trust me when I say it'll help me out if I have to fight." He didn't feel like explaining the 'mutation' that his body developed and what he was capable of doing with it. He just hoped they'd understand. He REALLY wanted to get a bottle in his hands, though. The more aged and stronger the brew, the better, at least for this purpose.

When this strange woman began talking, he turned his head to pay her some attention at last. She seemed to have been listening in on their conversation. From the way it sounded she thought the Elder was at the Fortress alone. Either that or she knew about the fighting that was going on and thought that the Elder and his forces would lose the fight. He shook his head, "If you know so much then why are you here? The place just got massacred, and I don't remember seeing you at the fortress when we all showed up to help the Elder out. My point being, either you're a new arrival looking to help or you're one of the ones responsible for THIS," He raised an arm to shoulder level and, with open hand palm up, made a large arc with his arm towards the bulk of the city as if to say that she was the cause of the city's demise. "You know too much to be an innocent bystander, and judging from your sarcasm I'd say you aren't here to help the Namekians."

And out of nowhere Zig chuckles and glanced at her with a smirk, "But despite all that, you do remind me of a bar wench I knew back on Vegeta at one point." He wasn't trying to lighten the mood, but her face did vaguely remind him of a snide, spitfire of a bar wench at one of the bars he frequented in the lower district of Saru City when he was on Vegeta from time to time.

[Ark Ghiest]

In the past day Ark had interacted with more individuals then he had in the past year, almost all of them seeming to be focused on one thing, the protection of Namek. So far they had been failing with the Ancient City destroyed and Yemall Village in danger, what would be next? The Namekian wanted to find the culprit for this destruction and perhaps if he searched the city enough he might find some hint as to who it was, perhaps not. Either way Ark would make no attempts to stop him or delay him any further. Instead he would turn his attention on the two others present.

The suggestion to split up and head back to the remaining villages was a sound one, but Ark wasn’t sure if the large Namekian was even listening, already starting to pull away from the group in search of answers. As for the spirits Ark could only offer a shrug to the request, not one to partake in such things. The other villages needed to be defended, there was no doubt in that, but what of this Saiyan that had just waltzed over to them, it seemed too convenient that she just happened to be strolling through the ruined city.

The strange tailed woman that had so casually walked over towards him was at the very least suspicious. Her body language and shifting tones made her hard to read, but all in all she didn’t seem to concerned with the death and carnage around them, even sitting down to eat some fruit. How could she eat at a time like this? The stench of death filled the air and had cost the human his own lunch, now she sat calmly and ate. Ark understood now that his casual approach, meant to be a passive one, could have been taken much differently then he had intended.

Listening to the red creature Ark couldn't agree with him more, this woman’s sudden appearance definitely something they would be right to question. Stepping up alongside the larger creature his brow would raise slightly at the mention of this female resembling a bar wench. Did he really desire the alcohol for some useful purpose or was it just that he wanted a drink? Ark had no way of knowing, and he doubted they would find any amongst the rubble either.

”I agree, the fact you are in the city alone is reason enough to suspect you. Never mind the fact that you do not seem bothered by the bodies littering the ground around you.”

His lavender eyes would scan her up and down as she enjoys her fruit, the female’s body language unnerving him a little. The Namekian had seemed to mourn the loss of his fellow Namekians, yet was determined to take action and the red creature was trying to plan their next step. The Saiyan, however; was acting almost as if nothing was out of place, the ruined city just the same as a park in which one could enjoy a midday snack.

”To be fare you could say the same about us, so let me explain why we are here. I am not sure what you might have overheard, but my name is Ark Ghiest and the two of us have agreed to try and defend Namek against whomever it is that is threatening its people. We just arrived from Yemall Village at the Elder’s request to find the city in ruins.

She may have been odd, but he always tried to give people the benefit of the doubt. Her presence alone did not paint her as the culprit although some explination to her appearence would be needed. They had a reason for being here and although they had not seen her set out with the rest, that did not mean she wasn't a late arrival. Now, who are you and for what reason are you walking through what is left of Ancient City?”

[Deleted]

The namekian continued to scout the area from above with his powerful senses; his mind doing multiple things at once including, listening, analyzing, aggravating and snarling. The two aliens weren’t listening at all. Pulitu, Danalan and Yemall were all minimally protected by the Black Gi, along with one or two stronger units here and there –like himself. Some places were more protected than others, but that was not the point. Basna’s plan was to spread out, and like Carnel, create a telepathic link between he and them. Along with the Elder’s, it would create a large net from which they could communicate and cover more ground altogether. If anything were to happen they only needed to heighten their power-levels alarmingly to catch the other’s attention.

If they returned now, they were only repeating their mistake. Focus protection on the three villages the Elder highlighted and allow another Ancient Village incident to transpire. People wait until they’re robbed, then they lock the door; to keep it open is foolish.

Regardless, before he could even try to explain all of this to the two; the red lizard had requested of something which, frankly, Basna didn’t know how to take. But before he could think of a response, their mysterious intruder rose from the shadows and revealed a face which had been concealed in darkness. Her words were as benighted as the last. Anyone who knew of Namekian anatomy knew that they could regenerate themselves from virtually any wound as long as their head remains intact. But damage them enough and leave them without energy to spare, as witnessed earlier that day at the Guru’s Fortress, they would die long before they had the chance to say anything meaningful.

Although, he raised a brow, that namekian ‘did’ manage to say something…

"[Four B-Black Gi... all mur-dered. She took it... to-took the village... we couldn't...]"

Those were the last words uttered by the man before the life escaped him. It was barely helpful, except for a single insignificant yet crucial pronoun: ‘She’. ‘She’ meant the perpetrator was not namekian as well as narrowed it down to a single class. Basna wasn’t very sure on which category this saiyan belonged, they all had tails and long uncontrollable hair. He did, however, have a human to compare her with.

Unlike Ark, her body was small and compact, yet busty and curvy. Her voice was also a sign, his ears picked up their tone and pitch instantly. It was like eating bread. You can feel the soft yet crunchy texture that mixed with the exquisite taste of toasted wheat. It was probably a long shot, but Basna decided to label this person female, as they call it. His eyes narrowed and he only stared. Whatever he could have possibly said in response to her nonchalant and completely improper behavior was already uttered by the red alien. As it was, namekians barely ate anything at all, but eating with this nose curling stench was truly inscrutable.

“She’s definitely not innocent.” He finally spoke before she had time to answer Ark’s unnecessary question. She could easily lie or in some insane circumstance admit to her crimes, but Basna knew for a fact, “but she isn’t responsible for this.” He called, descending back to the ground. The person they’re up against was a woman and Basna neglected the thought that his opponent was something as insignificant as this weak and fragile saiyan. No, their enemy must have been stronger.

“She’s too weak…” He concluded. The namekian raised his hand towards her and motioned his fingers as if telling her to come closer. The fruit suddenly escaped her hands and floated towards Basna, where he inadvertently disposed of it immediately with a flash of his laser eyes. “Tell me, Saiyan, why have you come to Namek? Are you a refugee from Vegeta?”

Anyone who was unaware of the planet’s status would have probably been puzzled as to what he meant. But not even Basna knew that the place had been completely obliterated into space dust. If she did come after watching Saru City’s destruction, he could understand her presence; a namekian led the attack on her home and she was probably searching for vindication.

Basna slightly cringed with narrow eyes and placed a hand over his ear as to try and mend a wringing and sudden pain that had spawned on him. It was a faint noise only he could perceive with his ears even at this distance, but it was low enough to ignore and appear to be unaffected. Little did he know it was the monstrous screech of whomever it was Elder Carnel faced at Yemall Village. It was like a thousand discreet needles vibrating inside his delicate ears.

[Jaxine]

The Lizard and the Human both seemed eager to point fingers at Jax for the chaos that had passed through the city. The difference between the two was the Human was decent enough to introduce himself while the Lizard called her bar wench.

The Namekian, surprisingly, wasn't blaming her for anything. She would sigh after their questions and accusations, having plenty of time to finish her snack off down to its core.

And, she ate that too. Been a while since she had eaten, and thats the first thing she told Ark. "... This kind of place doesn't bother me in the slightest, I've seen worse. Taught myself how to deal with it." she explained.

She stood again, crossing her arms. "I came to Namek years ago after Touketsuki Yakedo's visit to Vegeta. I was there to see most of that." She shrugged. "So came here."

She walked past them and over to a merchant's stand that had been blown to bits. "As for the city... came to pick some things up. Flour, hand soap, a new pillow, some highly alcoholic beverages to drown my woe's in..." she had held up a hand and counted the objects off with each finger.

then turning back to them she explained further. "And when I seen the place had been blown sky high and streight to hell, I went to check on the old guy." She kicked what was left of the stand over and spied a bottle.

"...Dunno where he took off to." she said, pulling the bottle out from under the dirt and wood. Broken. She huffed and tossed it over her shoulder, grabbing at another one. It was full and not even cracked. "Hey! its still good!" she said in surprise.

She shot a Glance at the Lizard. No doubt he was going to want it. She debated on drinking it in front of him or smashing it, but both actions could piss the whole group off. And she knew quite well how outmatched she was. She would have to play nice.

Walking up to the Namekian's clone, she spoke again. "I'm Jaxine. And I'm just your average drunken, hungry, pissed off Saiyan... refugee." she told him. Never bothered to offer her hand to shake, he looked the type to just scoff at such an offer or turn his back on her.

Then again, she didn't care what they thought of her anyway.

[hewhostandsalone]

With untrained senses at best, Gerrek didn't even notice the spike in energy that took place in Yemall right now. He kept his eyes trained on the Saiyan woman, but not out of frustration, judgment, or even mild annoyance. He was curious. The way the Namekian spoke he must have known something that Zig didn't. Refugee from Vegeta? What had happened to the mostly desert planet while the red alien had been stuck on Earth? Or was it perhaps even more recent than that? Whatever might cause a Saiyan to pack up their bags and leave their home, it probably wasn't good.

After hearing her semi-lengthy speech regarding why she was here the reptile didn't need further explanation. She did seem peeved about something, she was now holding a bottle of very strong alcohol, and she'd just finished a meager snack even for a Saiyan child. The bottle of drink really had his attention, and he absent-mindedly licked his lips when he saw it and caught a whiff of it on the breeze. No amount of death could stifle such a rich and inviting brew.

He turned his back to her and sighed heavily. That was probably the only good bottle in the whole city and he'd have to let it go. She did find it first and fairly. Though he didn't like the idea of looting a destroyed city, the booze would certainly help him in a fight. "Expecting me to ask for the bottle, right? Well I won't. You found it, you keep it. I'm not sure my conscience would let me accept looting booze from a devastated city. Even if it was for the cause of attempting to save my hide." He just shook his head. That was all there was to say on the matter.

[Ark Ghiest]

The Namekian, this red creature, and now this Saiyan, they all seemed confident in their words and actions, whatever the motivations behind them might have been. Ark on the other hand did not, his unfamiliarity with all of this painfully obvious. Tucking his hands back into his pockets his eyes would follow the woman as she searches through the rubble, searching for the same thing the large red creature had asked about only moments before. When she pulls up a bottle he wonders if the red creature would ask her to fork it over, or if she might even offer it herself. There would be no real surprise when she makes no immediate motion to hand it over, but from what he had seen of this woman so far she was more concerned with her own needs than others.

Having listened to the Saiyan’s story he found himself even more confused. Who was Touketsuki Yakedo and what had his visit to Vegeta been for? Ark was at least familiar with the planet, having read some about the Saiyan home world as part of his limited education. To the human the most important part of her rambling was the fact she had stated she arrived years ago. There would be no way for him to verify that of course, for he had not seen this Jaxine before, but why did he truly have any reason to doubt her? She had been rude so far, but not outwardly violent and if she had been on the planet for years why would she have chosen now to destroy Ancient City? Perhaps the distraction of the disappearing Namekians had been the perfect distraction, but that was assuming far too much in his mind. At least when it came to the death and destruction around him Ark decided the woman was not involved, even if not completely innocent in the grand scheme of things.

“Jaxine…if you have lived here for years do you not think it your responsibility to assist the people of Namek? You may have gotten used such things, but considering the circumstances I would say you are obligated to help…and stop looting this desecrated city. Ark’s voice would not rise at all, for he was not attempting to give any kind of order to the woman, he did not know her and truly was in no position to do such a thing. However, he did hope she would listen. What was to say whatever monster did this to Ancient City would not find her next? Turning his head some to face the lizard he would continue.

”Before you brought up the idea of us splitting up, some heading to Danalan and some back to Pulitu. I second that motion, the mistake of clustering in selected locations should not happen again. There was no hierarchy among them, but Ark felt he was the least qualified to make such a decision so he would turn to the one he believed should.

”Namekian, I do not know your name, but what do you wish us to do. All three of us are visitors to your planet. Lavender eyes would glance to the lizard then to Jaxine, if she was even paying attention. “How do you think we should be spread to best prevent a scene like this from unfolding at any of the villages?’ It was a leap to make his statement and assume the others would go along with it and perhaps inappropriate to put the decision on the shoulders of the Namekian. So far he had not seemed to impressed with any of them, but at least two of them had come here to help and as a native of this world he had the most to lose in whatever might transpire.