1982/AWftF: Reunion

AWftF: Reunion
Date of Scene:	08 April 2015
Location:	Void - Super Solar System
Synopsis:	Kakarot and Raditz finally get some brother time in. Kakarot gives Raditz the greatest gift he can offer.
Cast of Characters:	486, 723
Tinyplot:	A Wish for the Future

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Kakarot (723) has posed:
There is a time and a place for everything. It was only a matter of time for this meeting, however, as the knowledge that, in some universe, his brother still lived brought the King of the Neo-Saiyans to a moment of introspection.

That introspection happens to be on one of the side decks of the Bardock, the flashship of the Neo-Saiyan Empire. Triangular, but with smooth edges, the massive ship looks like a fusion of several different technological styles that were forced together to mesh into a murderous, singular whole.

Much like the Empire itself.

Kakarot stands looking out through a massive window looking out upon the turning planet of Reptilon below. A huge cask of ale and a pile of barbecued meat sits on a table next to him as he waits for his brother from another universal mother to arrive.

Raditz (486) has posed:
    Between the hunt for the Dragon Balls, trying to raise a family, and generally saving parts of the Multiverse when on duty for the Union, it had actually taken Raditz some time to take some time away from everything in order to have some one on one time with his brother. Or at least the version of his brother that could have been.

    After being let aboard, going through security as part of standard procedure, and catching up with a couple of old faces he hadn't seen in a long time, he finally gets around to the deck of the Bardock whereupon he sees the familiar silhouette of his brother's hair.

    Raditz is keeping his power level fairly low at the moment, though whether or not this version of his brother was aware of his actual strength was up in the air, but he didn't need to show off at this juncture. Last he checked, they still needed scouters to measure one's power. So he's just watching for a sensory reaction from Kakarot as he steps through the doorway.

    "I'm never going to get used to the visual of 'King Kakarot', let me tell you right now." Raditz says with a bit of a smirk.

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Kakarot looks over as Raditz enters. Is it the power level of the Saiyan that he notices, or something more simple? It's impossible to tell, though Kakarot does have the trademark scouter on the side of his face. He grins widely as Raditz addresses him and gives a yell, catching the man up in a colossally strong bear hug. "RAAAAAAAAGH! Man, I've wanted to do this for years!" He laughs, before finally dropping Radits to the ground. "It's okay, you would not /believe/ how many times I've been getting told that these days." He says offhandedly with that /almost/ Gokuesque smile. The sharp tinge of intellect, and predatory instinct, however, throws the entire thing off, making it seem almost like Goku's grin is pasted onto someone else's face.

He waves over to the food and drink and leads Raditz over to them, quickly smashing the keg open with a casual blow of a hand and passing over a mug. "I know you're not actually my brother, but I hope you don't mind if I indulge a bit. A man only gets so many opportunites." He fills his mug and immediately chug, following it with a massive meatbone which gets stripped of meat, and then the bone chewed and swallowed several seconds later. Seems like his appetite is healthy enough. "So, tell me about yourself, Raditz? I know what happened to the other me, but what's your story?"

Raditz (486) has posed:
    Bear hug was not quite the thing Raditz was execting, given that he has always been taller than his little brother, so the squeeze and lift catches him quite by surprise, "ACK! That's a hell of a grip! Alright putmedown!" Raditz sucks in a breath upon release and twists his torso a bit just to relieve from the squeeze. "I -think- I can imagine."

    The elder brother makes a point of once more scanning Kakarot's face, if only because of how eerie the entire situation was. He takes the mug and grins a bit, "Indulge away, it's as close as it's going to get either way." He takes this opportunity to fill his own mug and chug at the drink as well. "Wow, that's some good stuff. You've got to tell me where you found it. I've got to get some of it when I head back."

    At the question of his story, Raditz pauses thoughtfully, considering how much detail to give out, "Well, I'm sure you heard the story from someone else. Planet Vegeta got destroyed by Frieza not long after you were sent off planet. I was off world at the time, one of the lucky ones I guess. Frieza's mooks picked me up from the planet I was on, gave me the lame story of our home getting destroyed by a Meteor and all. After that, it was basically the three of us, Nappa, Vegeta and I, doing Frieza's dirty work until we could find a way out of the problem. Kind of sucked, really."

    Raditz then goes quiet, "Things only really got interesting when we found out which planet you were sent to, and that you might have been still alive. So I went ahead to check on your progress. Humans have a pretty low power level, so we kinda thought you'd have been mostly finished already, and I was just going to do cleanup so we could get you back with the rest of us..."

    He sucks in a breath, "If you were told what happened to your counterpart in my Universe, then you probably have an idea how things went from there."

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Kakarot chuckles. "It's brewed on one of the member planets of the Empire. I'll have a few kegs sent over for you later."

He listens then to the story of how Freiza destroyed their home planet. He frowns. "So that's what would have happened if our father failed, huh." He grunts. "Yeah. Eventually he and Frieza fought and he died. It's a travesty, if you ask me." He swipes another mug of ale and chugs it. "That damn tyrant has been nothing but a blight upon the multiverse in every form he's ever been seen. It's a better place without him." He looks back to Raditz. "In my universe, you weren't gone when it all went down. Our father took over Planet Vegeta while he was out. When the battle finally came, Bardock almost lost... Frieza then killed you to torment him. It pushed him over the edge and gave him the strength to become the legendary Super Saiyan, and he obliterated the bastard, saving our people."

He grunts, then. "Then they came back and picked me up from a gutted and ruined Earth. I was the last living heir now, and I was raised appropriately."

He looks back to Raditz, then. "So there we have it, wildly divergent circumstances leading to alternate universe brothers reuniting. At least /something/ good came out of all of this stupidity." He grimaces as he looks out at the spinning planet below. "I'm looking forward to finishing this Reptilon problem up."

Raditz (486) has posed:
    The elder brother grunts, "There's admittedly a little more to it, but that's nothing too important. Me ending up in the Union is a long story that I'd rather go into later. A lot has changed." He shrugs before drinking down another mug of that drink. "Damn, does this have a kick..."

    Raditz glances out to the planet below and considers, "Yeah, speaking of Reptilon... You're not going to give up on it, huh?" He expects that Kakarot would be kind of confused as to why he'd even mention the possiblity of it. "My position in the Union would make me trying to involve myself in this debacle a conflict of interest, so I'm going to keep out of it until orders happen."

    Raditz scratches the back of his head as he continues, "I expect Serori has been trying to get you to see eye to eye with the Confederacy, and siding with them, right? Honestly, I'd rather if you avoided getting into the big Multiversal War. It's always been kind of stupid, honestly, but this Reptilon thing looks like it'll throw you right into the middle of it..."

    He tilts his head a bit and pops a neck joint, as he asks, "So, I was thinking perhaps you ought to consider leaning in the Union's direction instead... Not be 'goody goody' as they want... Just..." He grumbles, "I'd rather NOT have to have a reason to fight you to the death again."

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Kakarot is quiet when Raditz asks him about Reptilon. "You're a Saiyan, Raditz. Would /you/ give it up?" He asks. "There are expectations. I'm working to minimize the problems they cause but even this..." He clenches a hand. "This Confederacy... It's been a thorn in my side. It's the only reason this isn't said and done by now. Serori has been talking a good game, but I don't like the baggage she comes with." Kakarot grunts. "If she wasn't already tied up with Vegeta I would try to sway her to /my/ side. She's strong. She carries herself with dignity and power. She may have been just a scout, but now she is a worthy Queen. To see her stuck with that maniac irritates me."

There is another pause as Kakarot looks over to his multiversal brother. "We just had a civil war to free ourselves from having to bend knee to a tyrant, Raditz. Why would serving this Field Marshal be any better than bending knee to another Frieza? I've seen his power. I know how he would handle it were I to defy him. At least he is /respectable/, unlike that freak."

In irritation he grabs a steak and bites a huge chunk off of it, chewing angrily and swallowing. "I respect your point, Raditz. But you know the Union would never really accept me and my people. We're too warlike for them. Too aggressive. It's part of who we are, no matter what the Neo-Saiyan Empire will eventually become. Add to that your associate Taylita..." He grunts. "If they think I would bow down to that inane naivete, they would be fools."

He pauses, watching Raditz intently, then. "But then you have to wonder... Where does that leave me and my Empire, Raditz. Vegeta lusts for it. Taylita thinks she is going to free it from my tyrranical grip. The Union cannot accept me and the Confederacy is going to see me as a threat."

Raditz (486) has posed:
    Raditz grits his teeth and gurmbles, "Yeah, I kind of figured you were gonna say that. Figured I'd throw the idea out there.... Tch, this is a big freaking mess..." He folds his arms across his chest as he mutters, "It's funny... If you'd showed up years ago, I'd probably have hopped aboard the the empire train easy... Kicking Frieza's ass, taking over his empire and all that sounds like it would have been a ball." He grins a bit, clenching his fists at the idea of all fun fights that could have happened.

    He sighs and turns to step over to that table and grabs a chunk of meat and tears into it himself. "*Nomf*... I can't jump at the offer now, though. Too much has changed since running into 'Goku'. Don't get me wrong, I'm no pansy, but the thrill of the fight isn't as high a priority anymore, you know."
    He stuffs the remains of the chunk of meat into his mouth and gulps it down. "My advice, as much as the idea sounds terrible, Kakarot, would be to let Reptilon go for now. That's the diplomatic thing to do anyway. Just head out in a different direction, I'm sure there's a chunk of the Multiverse that's not in the Union or Confederacy's reach. You can probably find another version of Reptilon out there."

    He grumbles, "And by the way, I wouldn't hold my breath when it comes to Serori. She walks the walk and talks the talk, but I wouldn't trust her further than I'd throw her... She's not worth it." He keeps what he hopes is a stoney experession on his face, but his eyes tell a different story. "Anyway, not sure what else to tell you."

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Kakarot sighs. "You don't understand, Raditz. It's not just about Reptilon." He steps forward, and gestures down at the planet below them. "Reptilon is an /excuse/. the Union and the confederacy... They are to big glaciers grinding against each other. Everyone smiles because they're both too big to lose. They can't understand failure. They've become immortal, just like that coward, Vegeta."

He looks back over to Raditz, then. "Even if I leave. I could drop everything, let it all go, and still they will chase me. And why?"

He reaches out, suddenly gripping Raditz and drawing him in close. Flames practically burn in his eyes as he hisses, "Because I am the last, best hope for the Saiyan people, and /they cannot accept that/. It /burns/ them to see me, alive, well and independant, doing the job they want to do but /better/." He lets Raditz go, then. "They might say I had the benefit of not having to deal with Frieza, but that doesn't keep them from smirking behind their hands as they plot against me. You were THERE, Raditz. You SAW what they were both doing. Behind all the pretty words, it boiled down to a simple thing."

He grunts, looking away. "Join us, or die. I played the game. I danced the dance. I did everything I could, but nothing is going to change. They will not be satisfied until I sell my people into slavery once again... Or I am dead, so they can take everything our father and I hoped to create for themselves."

Raditz (486) has posed:
    Raditz goes wide eyed when he met's Kakarot's own gaze, almost literally feeling the proverbial burn, but when his brother releases his grip, he shakes his head and says, "Well of course the Fed's were saying that! That's their entire schtick! They're just a bunch of assholes, who sanction the likes of Frieza and other crazies. And the ones who aren't crazy are either too ambitious for their own good, or are a bunch of mooks. So yes, that's the thing it boils down to with them."

    He growls and starts pacing, "I don't know what you expect to do if you don't want to back down on the Reptilon matter. You don't want to take a side, even though Union might not accept you, at least they can be reasonable, because the Confederacy sure isn't. You damn well can't take either of them on by yourself, because that's just suicidal. The only option that ends well for the Neo-Saiyan Empire is leaving, because at least you can get away. The Confederacy will just forget about you, and Vegeta won't have anything to do but go back to his business with the stupid Dragon Ball hunt..."

Kakarot (723) has posed:
"The Union is just as bad as the Confederacy, Raditz. They just do a better job of hiding it. No matter what I do, I won't be able to swing a Namekian out here without hitting someone the Union or Confederacy inexplicably cares about. You also weren't listening when I told you it doesn't matter if I leave and drop it. Vegeta has a couple hundred Saiyans, /maybe/. I have an entire planet of them, unsullied by the destruction of our home. He can't let that go. Nor can Serori or Taylita."

He draws one more mug of beer. "I have a plan on how to deal with it. But Reptilon is as good a place as any to do it." He takes a drink and looks back over to Raditz. "Whatever happens, don't let Vegeta succeed, Raditz. If he takes control of the Saiyan people, we're done for."

Raditz (486) has posed:
    "A plan, huh? Would be nice to know what that plan is, Kakarot, because there's not a whole lot I can do to help out with said plan if I don't know the details." Raditz replies with a frustrated growl. "And it better not be the kind of plan that paints you as the lunatic in this entire picture, because I've already told you that I don't want this to end up with us trying to kill each other -again-."

    Raditz grumbles and takes another swig of beer, and mutters, "Look, I don't want Vegeta to succeed as much as the next guy, and I've been actively trying to make sure he doesn't. Hell, I even kicked his ass and took the kingship from him for a while..."

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Kakarot simply pauses, and looks back to Raditz. "Tell me, Raditz. Look inside yourself and tell me: Do you really think you can kill me? I don't care about anything else. Answer me honestly."

Raditz (486) has posed:
    Raditz blinks a little bit as the question is asked, and there's a brief pause, as he just allows himself a bit of a grin. The grin that every Saiyan has at the prospect of fighting a strong opponent, "I answer your question with one of my own: How long do you think that scouter can hold out?"

    With that, without shifts his stance just enough as the aura of his ki begins to flare up, as he starts chargin up. Historically, Raditz was always relatively weak, and he doesn't expect that his counterpart from Kakarot's universe would have been that much stronger than him had he survived to this point.

    The scouter on everyone on the ship will pick up on Raditz's power level climbing up rapidly, skyrocketing above the stats of historically stronger foes such as Dodoria, Zarbon, and even the Ginyu Force.

    Raditz gives his brother one last grin, before roaring as his eyes glow green and hair gold, as he transforms. Any scouters not prepared for this would explode.

    Raditz breathes heavier now that he's in the Super Saiyan form, and grins, "I think I might have a shot, Kakarot."

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Raditz's demonstration is quite impressive. Alerts go off all over the ship as the power level spikes, it appears that people were not expecting someone to reach Super Saiyan levels in this meeting. Kakarot, however, watches impassively as he sees the transformation occur, Raditz unleashing the power of the Super Saiyan in all of its glory.

Kakarot's scouter doesn't explode. He does, however, laugh. Not in mockery, but in joy. "HAH! RADITZ! I KNEW YOU HAD IT IN YOU!" He yells, walking up to give him a colossal slam on th back.

He can take it, he's a Super Saiyan. "But you won't beat me, Raditz. My lieutenants can go Super Saiyan too, and I train against them without using my own power."

He turns away. "I can't tell you the plan. I have to do this for my people, and there's no other way I can save them from what is going to happen."

Raditz (486) has posed:
    Raditz blinks a little at that little revelation, even as he gets slapped on the back. "Well, that just makes the whole 'Legendary Super Saiyan' title a tiny bit less special now, doesn't it?" With that, he depowers and says, "Unless of course you've got Broly hidden around here, in which case you might want to be careful he doesn't go crazy on you."

    He does frown a little at the declination of mentioning the plan, before sighing, "Fine, if you've got to keep it a secret, then its your secret. Just don't do anything stupid..."

    He turns about towards the door, glancing over his shoulder as he says, "Anyway, I've got to head back out... It's been great to meet the brother I expected on Earth years ago, and I'm looking forward to getting into a brawl with you in the future." He can't help but grin at that prospect.

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Kakarot nods. "It's been good to meet the brother I expected to see as well. Good luck out there, Raditz." He lets Raditz leave without incident.

Once he has left, he turns back to the window, staring back out at Reptilon, his smile gone as he looks upon it with a grim expression.

"I hate this place." He grunts to no one in particular.