Post by Shemha on Sept 1, 2017 14:13:03 GMT
She still sensed them, the Queen and the others were yet to leave the planet. A number of those at the recent gathering pledged to travel to Namek, but preparations were still needed. Habana requested that the Commander go as well and that meant orders needed to be given to those who remained. With the two top ranking members of the Empire off world, Vegeta was likely to be set on high alert. In the pit of her stomach Shemha worried that Vi-Poi would make his move while they were gone.
All of this was so clouded to her, the mixture of emotions and views hard to digest. Friends stood against friends, Queen’s stood against their predecessors and lovers fought together. Through the chaos she remained loyal, in her heart she knew she stood with the Empire, but part of her couldn’t wonder if Habana’s view was jaded. Could the Queen do what was needed even if it meant going against Zucceta, against Maeve?
Shaking her head the Majin tried to focus on the silence around her and the intense gravity that tugged at her shoulders, both hopefully enough to provide subtle distraction from the thoughts that swirled within her. Having retreated to the dojo, a place she might gather herself, she struggled to crush the doubt. Despite all that took place in recent months, from the battle against Walker to the confrontation with the Premier, Habana still chose to travel with Zucceta. Not even offered an invite to make the journey with them Shemha wondered what it was that kept her at arm’s length…but then again, Habana did request she come so what was it? Did she want her close or just close enough to be of use?
”She cannot be trusted.”[/color
The thought flashed through her mind. It was her own yet not, the influence of the powerful entities within her never completely squelched.
”I know you can see it. This is why I lashed out at her when she arrived on Namek, she is not the Queen you believe her to be, not when she stands alongside Zucceta. Despite all her words, she will side with Lady Death when the choice comes, just like she did in the past. Regardless of what the former Queen might choose, Habana will go along with it.”[/color
Again the Majin shook her head, pushing the thoughts from her mind. They were wrong, Habana was loyal to the Empire and unlike Zucceta, she would not abandon it. Just like Shemha the hybrid would see the SSE safe and strong, regardless of whom their foe might be. The Commander knew the woman more than she ever knew the previous Queen. On Namek she threw herself at Walker to protect not only her own wellbeing, but the lives of those around her.
”Vengeance is the answer. Zucceta should have to answer fot what she has done and will likely do. Her influence must be crushed before it can lead Habana down the same path she took, one of lies and false loyalty. That path led to the death of my people and your friends. You claim there was no record of the orders to attack, but Zucceta must have known.”
”Enough.” Shemha heard herself saying to the empty dojo, her voice echoing of the curved walls. Hand to her forehead she struggled to suppress the arrant thoughts. Her absorption of Walker fueled a competitive rivalry between the Queen and her, but Plato was a different story. A collection of wild emotion and a heart of vengeance, the volatile King left the Majin confused and unsure of her place or the path before her. She wished to continue as she had, loyal to her Empire and to her friend, but doubt now washed through her in waves.
”This is why I chose the path I did. Those with power and influence cannot be trusted to deliver justice, it must be done with your own hands if you wish to see it a reality. You eliminated Plato for that very reason, to protect those under you and you justify his death as your own form of justice do you not?”
”She knows that isn’t the truth. She took my life as an embodiment of wrath. I threatened her and her Queen so she took action to ensure those threats would not become a reality. She is not some convoluted instrument of justice, but a creature of wrath and vengeance. Why do you think she wants Xylo’s head? For justice, no. She wants it as payment for the lives he has taken.”
”Silence!” The Commander shouted as her temper spiked.
Pushing those thoughts forcefully away once again, the Majin shoved more than the confusion away. Her physical form wavered, the gooey substance that made up all of her kind stretched as if she wished to create a copy of herself. A moment after she attempted to will those errant thoughts away she felt part of her form detach. Staggered by the sudden sensation the hand placed to her forehead dropped away as her eyes shifted to take in the strange sight before her.
A blob of red slapped to the floor several feet away, the chunk of flesh quivering uncontrollably before it began to shift. In front of her eyes and without her willing it to do so, the separated piece grew. In short order it rivaled her impressive height and seconds later took on a shape of its own. When features and details became apparent, the creature across from her could only be described as a hybrid, a hybrid of a bio-android and a king.
Horns protruded from its head and a long tail rested on the floor behind it. Behind those trademark horns tuff of white hair hung, partially covering the cracked features of the creatures face. Luminescent eyes stared at her, devoid of pupils, but full of life. With a roll of its neck the creature let out small gasp before it spoke in a voice that reminded her of Walker and Plato simultaneously.
”Your confusion is not misplaced. Through your greed you have lost your way…let us help you find it.”
Mouth partially agape, in the middle of trying to understand what stood before her, Shemha was caught flat footed as the creatures left fist crashed against her jaw. Head snapped to the side, the rest of her followed as her slender form shot across the dojo. Landing hard thanks to the enhanced gravity, the Commander groaned as she shoved back to her feet. Tasting the blood that dribbled from the corner of her mouth helped return her focus, softly glowing eyes looking to the creature as it stalked towards her.
”Neither of you know me. Neither of you understood me…and the both of you betrayed me!” She shot back with uncharacteristic emotion, something more common these last few days than she realized. Not one to take a strike or words without retaliation, Shemha’s aura blazed as she rushed to meet the strange creature. Unsure of what this all meant, she was not willing to let this abomination dictate who she was.
As she drew close to colliding with the manifestation of her uncertainty, her right fist drove forward in an attempt to remove its head. Unfortunately, it met the creature’s large palm instead, stopped dead as it matched her strength. Arm raised, quivering against her deformed clones own shaking arm, her eyes narrowed as it spoke once again.
”Why deny it? There is nothing wrong using vengeance to fuel your sense of justice. Let those emotions drive you and they will make you stronger. Do you not remember the power we possessed? Without others the both of us would have ground you under foot. Let go of your control and find the power within that letting go releases.”
A twist of her arm hindered her balance and before she knew it, the long tail that rested behind the creature wrapped its way around her neck. Up and over she went, crashing back to the floor with enough force to draw a groan from her durable body. Although gasping from the impact, she was an experienced warrior and a quick reshaping of her malleable body set her free. With a roll she was back on her feet, panting already. Something about this strained her…more than the gravity and more than the physical aspect…
”You’re…you are wrong.” She responded, shocked at the uncertainty in her own voice. Was it right? Did the control she so often exhibited limit her strength? Without others was she weak?
Again her thoughts provided a distraction and the creature capitalized. A heavy foot connected with her stomach, bending the Majin in half as she shot backwards, hitting the floor for a third time before she rolled across it. When she ended up on her stomach, both hands pressed to the floor as she began to rise…but the same heavy foot that sent her to the ground in the first place pressed her head back to the tile.
”Stop fighting it.” Came the voice from above her and when she shoved up, the pressure on her head increased to keep her down.
”Let us take control and this will be simple. On Namek we can take care of everyone. Xylo, Zucceta and the rest so that all receive what is due. All you need to do is let go, release that control that you favor so much and the rest is easy.” The creature continued. Its words bit into her more than any of its strikes. Pressed to the floor of her own dojo, the Commander wondered if it was right.
Why not lash out at all of those that wronged her? By eliminating the players justice could be dealt out and in the process, her thirst for vengeance quenched. Xylo could die, Zucceta could, Vi-Poi could die and those fools that prevented her from aiding Hababa could die. But what of the Queen? Should she die as well? Maybe it was wise to eliminate her before she turned against her. History proved that it was only a matter of time before the person she trusted most betrayed her. This time Shemha would have the opportunity to strike first. She wouldn’t have to suffer the pain of betrayal like before and on top of it all, her people would be safe from another Queen abandoning them.
…but they weren’t her people. They were their people, Habana said as much. During their sparring sessions and over shared drinks the Queen made the point to include Shemha in the Saiyan family, an equal member of the Empire like any other. Then why had she chosen to tell the Commander to stay away from Vegeta when the Premier attacked? Why did she travel with a traitor instead of her right hand? What was it that Shemha did not possess?
Or was it that she trusted the Commander to do what was right? Told to stay away, the Majin ignored her orders and instead rushed to the Queen’s side. Instead of a reprimand Habana admitted she was glad Shemha came…was that the true woman behind the figure head that was the Queen? A friend glad for her companion’s arrival? It had to be. Perhaps that meant the reason she chose to ride with Zucceta was because they needed to exchange words while she already knew she could trust Shemha.
So far the two experienced general triumph and through the control that both of them exhibited, the Empire flourished. Sure soldiers had died, but that was Xylo’s fault. It wasn’t justice or revenge that drove them towards Namek now, but duty to those who served under them, both the living and the dead. While Shemha struggled with herself, others depended on her, others needed her and the more uncertainty she exhibited the more she let them down. So many things remained unclear when regard to those involved in this, but she understood at least one thing, the Empire needed her in one way or another and it needed her with a clear head, not this fountain of emotion.
”You are wrong.” Shemha clarified as her hands shot up to clasp the creature’s ankle. Her fingers pressed into its flesh, her flesh as she forced its foot to the side.
”Control is what has gotten me where I am. My ability to process and access is what makes me a competent commander and what makes me flourish. Combat is not emotionless, but they should be regulated and I will not have defeated foes convince me otherwise!” She shouted as her resolve returned. This part of her was just that, a part of her. Composed of many parts no single one defined her and certainly not the part bent on revenge.
With a surge the Majin’s body rolled up the leg of the strange hybrid. Like a flowing river her red flesh spread itself higher, to engulf the majority of her vengeful self until only its head remained free. Around it she constricted as she began to re-absorb the essence that belonged to her, but the process was left incomplete as she shared a few more words.
”Only I choose what is right for me and those I care about, not the remnants of those too weak to see their own delusional goals through. The Empire will flourish with Habana at the helm and as her right hand; I will see all of its enemies brought to heel.” She stated with confidence as she wrapped the creature fully.
A second later the combination of the two forms shrank back to normal as she drew the lost essence back within her, but she was not left the same. As the power that attempted to alter who she was fused back into her, the suppression of that side brought with it a surge of power. Unprepared for the burst of energy, Shemha’s eyes widened as her energy levels spiked. Below her the floor groaned in protest, even the magically enhanced dojo stressed by the sheer energy output. Flexing her hands as the power radiated through her, she couldn’t help the small grin that formed. She had made the right choice…and with it came the strength to further ensure the Empire’s safety.
Trembling with strength unlike anything she ever experienced, she looked within herself to press those levels down. No one needed to know, especially when so many around her were not worthy of her trust. And thankfully she was quick to suppress it for a moment later, the doors creaked open.
”Shem, everything alright in here?” Asked a familiar face as Meridia’s head poked in between the doors. Thick black locks hung down around the girl’s fair features and despite her usually carefree attitude concern showed on her face. ”I felt a surge in your energy.”
”Everything is fine.” Shemha responded calmly, a small smile sent the demon’s way to reassure her. [/color=red]”We have lingered long enough though; it’s time to head to Namek.”[/color]
Walker and Plato’s essence still existed within her and would until the end of her days, but now she felt they were in check. They would always influence her, their memories and thoughts something she could not erase, but no longer would their emotions cloud her thoughts. If Shemha managed this level of control there would be nothing stopping her from performing her duties with a clear mind and nothing to hold her back from crushing the Empire’s enemies.
