Out of the Blue and Into the Black, Buckaroo [Saga]

Cipher felt an overwhelming wave of relief crash over him as Vipoi finally stopped fighting. Bing was able to get through to him afterall! Well, somewhat. It seemed that Vipoi wasn't in any mood to negotiate, and was simply going to leave and go home. Still, at least the hostilities were over for now, and nobody died or was brutally injured. Well, apart from him that is.

He listened as Maeve volunteered to accompany Zucceta, as did the Kogami and Habana. Bing offered to stay back to make sure nobody attacked Vegeta while they were gone, which Cipher approved. Wouldn'tdo them much good if Xylo slipped past and took over Vegeta while they were heading to Namek. Then Zucceta offered to have someone patch up Cipher if he was willing to come, do some good for a change. After all, Cipher's attempt to try to bring a peaceful resolution seemed to have only made Vipoi mad and make things worse. The android picked up his detached arm, and with an almost painful cracking sound reattached the limb. It hung there, limp, but at least it was connected to him now. "Thank you Zucceta. It's time I actually did something practical," he gave another rueful smile as he slowly lifted himself into the air. He would at least have time to recover and prepare himself on the trip. And hey, if he could survive a beatdown from Vipoi, it at least better prepared him for the fight against the Dominion.

As he floated past Zucceta, he heard her calling out to Cipher, inviting him to come along and even injecting a little bit of humour into it. WhileCipher could appreciate the effort, it may not be for the best. "Let him be Zucceta. We've all had a rough day today." he murmured, before flying off towards Zucceta's ship. Already his mind was trying to formulate ways to deal with the upcoming struggle, especially if Vipoi didn't accept Zucceta's offer. After all, just because the battle would be uphill didn't make it impossible.

Then they could sort this political mess AFTER the war was over.

[Exit. PL please]

Perhaps this was better than nothing. Perhaps it wasn't. The fighting slowly died down as Bing and Vi-Poi engaged in what appeared to be an impromptu kindergarten slap-fight, followed by Maeve's mighty wall of ki-infused soil crumbling much like her strong stance; she looked drained and disappointed; most likely over a great deal many things.

With a dejected crestfallen sigh Defrosch waved to the other demon present; one of the SSE's soldiers and ally of the red Majin. He offered a weary smile though, mostly for her sake if anything. "Personally I'm not sure how many sides there are. I wanted people to talk it out and just... Understand that nobody is blameless and nobody is perfect!" His fists clenched for a moment but he soon felt that rise in tension leave his body as he shook his head. "You can see how well that turned out." Not immediately horribly, but not a great result either.

Defrosch was done with this. He quite honestly might have had better luck helping that Ogre from earlier. There was one thing he had to do. Hearing the warriors nearby struck a chord with him. This was a messily mixed up situation where pretty much everyone was in some way right and in the other way wrong. Vi-Poi didn't like that Habana was trying to take in the remains of the Arcosian Empire. Defrosch was of the same mind but in a heated moment Vi-Poi beefed it and didn't try to talk it out first when in the past he surely would have. Habana seemingly wanted people to have a better chance at life in this chaotic universe but taking over their worlds using bloodthirsty soldiers all too keen on mass destruction and carnage in place of diplomats was not the best of plans.

They both wanted to protect, but their logic clashed. That was the problem.

Eyes darting around as he saw the gathered warriors move to leave, Defrosch's body moved without thinking. He quickly levitated up and towards the center of it all before holding two fingers to his throat to amplify his voice via Ki Manipulation.


Hopefully he now had their attention; however divided it may be. "I'm about to say some potentially long winded nonsense but Kaio above if none of you at least try to listen then we've all just messed up." He began, somewhat nervously. "I don't know if you lot have noticed; but Vi-Poi has Ki. Actual real ki. I don't know him too well but something is missing from him and at the same time its still there! He used to be a being of logic but now he is undeniably more. He shows true emotion like we do, but he might not have been made this way. Did he make a mistake today with this? He doesn't know how to handle feelings like we have been doing all of our lives, it could be a recent development for all any of us know! He isn't a heartless soulless machine." Defrosch's eyes lit up in a spectacular colour, naught but two individuals here would have seen this or at least been told about it; Zucceta and Maeve. "Trust me, I can see that." The Arcosian declared, if not for everyone to at least consider, it was for Vi-Poi to know that someone was at the very least trying to understand him. The trillion yard mystical stare now trained on Habana, Defrosch held a hand over his chest. "If you meant what you said about the Arcosian Empire and the Saiyan Solar Empire being 'better together', please for the sake of all things consider what Maeve has told you, as well as this..." Defrosch took a deep breath just so he could say one last thing in absolute clarity.


With that said, the star-like galactic glitter and shimmering in his eyes died down as they returned to normality, Defrosch sheepishly backed away, not looking physically tired but emotionally tired.

Since a fair few were off to fight Xylo, and Defrosch knew that he wouldn't do much to help, his thoughts turned elsewhere; to a place where he could help. Home. Earth. There was one person on that world that could support him now besides Maeve, and that was Cerci. Defrosch would certainly have quite a lot of explaining to do.

"..." Giving the group one last concerned look, he started walking away.

---

ATTEMPTING EXIT. PL w/ Suppressed Form please.

Habana blinked in genuine surprise as things unfolded, briefly she’d wanted to give a snap retort to some of Vi’s comments but having dropped down to normal Super Saiyan her mind was clear enough to keep some semblance of calm and recognize that with every moment Vi seemed less immediately hostile, and at minimum that would give her some time to recuperate her energy in case he DID do something.

But then the real surprise came as Vi stated that he was withdrawing and even called on the warrior’s facing off with Pin and Ginge informing them to back off. It was surprising enough that Habana did the smartest thing she COULD do considering her lingering anger at the Premier. She kept quiet through his last comments and reached for her scouter to call off Pin and Ginge.

“Don’t attack, they’re leaving.” Habana directed the message to the duo, she was fairly confident that even without the order Pin would be more likely to just wait on orders to do something rather than just blasting them but considering the dangers his Overdrive presented it was probably best to make certain nothing happened.

She STILL wanted to respond to Vi but knew better, he’d already summoned some sort of portal above his robot and it was way too likely that anything she DID say would just rile him up further, maybe even enough to piss him enough to rescind his withdrawal.

---

Raca was actually rather glad that thing has more-or-less turned out peacefully, at least peacefully enough at the moment that he was not going to have to fight Ornion. “That could be fun, hopefully things between the Empire and Earth will not prevent that.” Raca said with a grin matching Ornions bow and pulling back to Jala’s position. Assuming the Earth’s forces departed he would then unleash a massive cone of fire into the air having no better means of dispersing the massive energy he had accumulated.

---

Habana frowned and dropped down out of super saiyan entirely as Maeve spoke, at least for the moment it felt unlikely she would be making the effort to speak with the Premier but perhaps through Maeve or Zucceta something could be set up once Xylo was dealt with.

“I don’t know how fast whatever that thing your doing is Maeve but if you get there first be careful, you might want to give them a chance but that doesn't mean they will give you the opportunity” Habana said more than a little concerned about the idea of Maeve popping up on Namek on her own, hopefully though the Imperator could get there soon enough if Maeve DID try to go ahead without them.

Habana grit her teeth but did her best to look calm as Zucceta made another go at having Vi join them in the fight against Xylo, true it was tactically the smart choice considering he was potentially one of if not THE strongest fighter in the universe. But boy did Habana feel certain things would go terribly wrong if she had to continue occupying space with the Premier.

“Either is fine with me, I wish we’d had a chance to talk sooner so maybe on the way might be good, make sure we know where we stand now” Habana said with a shrug, Zucceta took off for the ship and soon Shemha arrived at her side as Etoru’s ghosts started doing making odd noises though ultimately they seemed to be remaining mostly harmless.

The Arcosian seemed to have hit a boiling point despite everyone else having started to simmer down shouting to draw the attention to himself, Habana raised an eyebrow at his words not entirely sure what he was talking about. Habana didn’t know the Premier well enough to have discerned if he had emotions or not but at least during the coronation, he had seemed to possess enough emotional range that she didn’t quite understand where the Arcosian was coming from.

The comment on him not being a “heartless soulless machine” was also rather confusing as Habana did not know the Arcosian well enough to determine if that was just what he meant to describe the Premier as BEFORE he’d become emotional or if that was what he thought of all fully artificial androids.

“I’m not entirely sure anyone was saying he was either of those things, I certainly don’t have that as my assumption of Androids” Habana said giving the Arcosian a look halfway between confusion and annoyance. If he DID mean the former she really hoped he was not idiotic enough to say as much “and I don't need another person telling me what to do without knowing what I intended and I don’t need someone I’ve never met to tell me to listen to one of my closest friends” Habana said with a sigh.

“Shem, I’m heading to Namek with Zucc. I’d like you to come since we’ll probably need you but if you want to stick behind to keep things running smoother that’s fine” she said her tone and expression calming as she focused her attention onto her Commander briefly waiting to see Shem’s response before heading off to meet up with Zucceta.

“Pin, we’re headed to Namek. I’m going with Zucceta on her ship, get moving if you want a ride”

---

[I'll take PL]

Vi-Poi looked back over his shoulder as the portal grew. His Blowhard Paozuard shirt fluttered in an invisible wind as the maw stretched into a purple vortex crackling with blue fire. He was still frowning. Habana wouldn’t learn, she was too prideful. Even now she didn’t want to change course.

He could go with them to Namek. It might save a lot of lives. It might ensure Xylo and this Ouroboros's defeat. But then he’d be giving in to Habana’s willful silence on the freedom of the galaxy. Her silence said a lot. It’s all mine, her silence said. All the stars in the sky.

Zucceta offered him a ride to Namek, but he was sure that Zucceta knew he wouldn’t take it. What, was Vi-Poi supposed to trade one overbearing empire for another? Defrosch's last-gasp attempt at forming some kind of reconciliation made his frown deepen.

“The next poor-off planet the Empire bullies in to steal, I trust you’ll all be there lickity-split to stop all the fighting,” He said to all of the Third Side. “I’d hate for the Empire to make hypocrites out of my friends.”

He turned his flat, sullen gaze to Habana.

“Believing yourself a good person has spoiled you,” He said to the Queen of the Saiyans, before flying into the portal.

OXHEAD and Ornion had already departed. And then he was gone, too.

The portal snapped closed with a loud crack of thunder.

Everything would be different, now.

(EXITED, PL please. Fun thread )

Bing smiled weakly at Maeve as she approached, leaning into her as she rested her head on his. Her statement wasn't surprising. She'd been talking with Akemi about facing Ouroboros before, and although he was scared for her, it wasn't something he would oppose. She needed to do this. Whether it was to prove to herself that she was strong, or to fulfill some grand destiny; the itch-- no, the need to fight this fight would never leave her. It's what pushed Bing to Kanassa, but unlike Bing, Maeve would survive. He knew it in his heart that the end would not find her. Not on Namek, at least.

"Just be safe, okay? Don't take risks you don't need to... Don't end up like I did."

He watched her dissipate somberly, waving goodbye as the last flickers of her visage faded into nothingness, and she teleported away.

There was little left to say now that the battle was over. Zucceta geared up to move on, with Habana and Shemha, as well as some of their higher ranking soldiers following closely behind. It was a good group, but so were the Mazoku. They'd need to be on their toes for sure. As ruthless as the Solar Empire could be at times, the Mazoku had proven themselves to be a threat just as credible. Even if the infamy had been stacked on Xylo, surely his men had tricks up their sleeve all the same.

That thought stayed in his mind for a lot longer than it should have. The ruthlessness of the Saiyans. Maybe Vi-Poi was the one in the right; maybe Vi-Poi, in all his gung-ho action, wasn't actually jumping the gun? The Solar Empire had changed heads, sure, but what had this new Queen really done so far? She led her soldiers to fight, just like Zucceta, but she had the guise of being the defender to shield her actions.

Defrosch shouted some things that frazzled Bing's mind more. Vi-Poi had evolved in ways no robot ever could. He turned into a real boy, as some might say. Did it make his accusation of the Solar Empire any less valid? Maybe that answer would reveal itself once Xylo was buried.

With everyone leaving, Bing turned back to leave. Etoru's ghosts hopped and danced about as he walked, trying their best to keep him occupied for some reason. It was almost too distracting. The Serpent Master's eyes narrowed, and he searched for Etoru carefully. It took a moment to locate him, but with some effort, and taking cues from the ghosts who seemed to get more wild as he got closer, the boy was found. Sneaking towards the Imperator with dastardly intent, Etoru would find himself grabbed at by Bing. Should he get a hold of the back of his shirt, Bing would hoist his son into the air, and glare at him disapprovingly.

"Oh no. Not you young man. I'm not letting you get mangled any more than I already have. We're going home. Understand?"

With or without Etoru's consent, Bing would tuck the boy under his arm, and walk towards their own ship.

---

Interrupted Etoru's exit!

Etoru smirked. Everything went as planned! However, before he entered the ship, he was hoisted into the air! "Eh?!?" Looking at Bing in shock, he growled and began to squirm wildly. "No! Wait, come on! I-I was supposed to get another go at him! Mom was training me for this moment!" The last part wasn't exactly a lie, though he really did center his focus on training with Maeve around Xylo. Before he knew it, he was under Bing's arm and headed towards their own ship. "NO! Put me down you old man!! DAD!"
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Thread Exit! PL plox

Though he turned to walk away, he wasn't so rude as to not at least give Habana the recognition that he listened to her response. Defrosch turned slightly and looked over to her, his eyes making it readily obvious now that he was completely drained as a result of this encounter. "I typically start rambling when stressed..." He had prefaced his earlier speech with something similar, but it was important to repeat. "I've met a great deal too many people that think ill of Androids in that way. Some people tend to forget that even those that are sentient and made of metal and wires can learn to truly feel too, that's all." Once again, Habana of course mentioned that she did not have the absolute worst initial view of Androids as she did with Arcosians earlier. "You're just not one of those people, it seems. So, good on you for that." Defrosch turned away again, he didn't have the energy to tell Habana once again that if she had just been absolutely clear of her intent then none of this would have happened. She seemed clever enough to discern this from some thought on her own along with what Maeve said to her. "Its a shame we met under these circumstances." He said with a wave as he continued on his way, briefly considering saying 'don't die', but not very many people go into precarious situations planning to bite the dust.

Defrosch wandered for a while before releasing his personal space pod from its hidden capsule. It was a gift from another old friend; the Saiyan hybrid Raisu. 'I wonder how that dope is doing...' Getting into the pod, the Arcosian leisurely put in the co-ordinates for Earth, and away he went, off into the inky darkness of space with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company.

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THREAD EXIT SUCCESS!
As stated previously I would like PL w/ suppressed form bonus.