Post by Ticoga on Jul 12, 2020 2:15:27 GMT -6
It was a magnificent thing, this pirate base. A gigantic star ship, now a husk floating through space, had been claimed and converted into a base of operations of sorts. Its massive scale puts even today's star ships to shame - oh the history this vessel must have! Ticoga had arrived aboard this base in his search for a purpose.
When Arcose fell to the Saiyan Kingdom, and Arcose's own leaders attempted to destroy the planet along with their own people, Ticoga had become disillusioned with his people. First, the World Trade Fleet fell, and he found himself stuck on Arcose - only to be on the losing side again. Ledinjin's rebellion, the Saiyan Kingdom... It seemed that the World Trade Fleet's destiny was to fall.
Oh, how his ancestor, Taiga, would be ashamed. While not solely responsible for the World Trade Fleet's creation, Taiga had been a powerful asset in their efforts. A Low Born, Ticoga's ancestor still managed to gain prestige - but that prestige is not passed down through the line. Ultimately, Taiga was clanless, and so his descendants too remained disdainfully nothing more than assets to be used and tossed aside.
That is, until Ticoga's cousin, Tundra, decided to take matters into his own hands.
Ticoga still remembers the day that Tundra came to recruit him into his personal faction...
Ticoga wipes sweat as it pours down his cheeks, his body naked except for the bio-armor covering his chest and pelvis. Inspired by the World Trade Fleet's growing power in the face of their victory over the Saiyans, Ticoga knew that he needed to increase his power so that he may one day serve the Fleet with distinction.
Until now, he had been weak. An asset utilized in the Support Corps. during the Vegeta invasion. But, he had heard that his cousin, Tundra, had begun making some kind of power play. He was gathering allies, and even the Arcosian Wintoz seemed to be caught up in Tundra's scheming. This was not their place - power was for the powerful. The Noble Clans and the Royal Clans were the only ones worthy of such authority. For a Low Born to arrogantly step forward and openly eschew their place in the pecking order was... well, suicide. But Tundra was indeed becoming strong, and it wouldn't be long before the Higher Clans got wind of Tundra's insolence.
The damn fool was bound to get not only himself, but Ticoga killed as well. They had already been stripped of their clan name generations ago, though why that was, Ticoga did not know. But given the ambitious nature of his ancestors, and now Tundra's, it didn't take much imagination to figure out what it could have been. Holding his hands out like knives, Ticoga tries to push the thoughts from his mind, and resume his training. It was nothing more than a spinning robot with long, hardened rods, but the speed at which the rods came, and the force behind them, made the machine an excellent source for basic tests of reaction time.
He couldn't be relegated to the Support Corps. forever, but he needed to prove that he was actually worth the promotion. As Ticoga falls into yet another set of parrys and strikes, a door on the far side of the chamber slides open. Breathing heavily at his exertion, Ticoga doesn't register who had entered. Not until a voice reached him.
"Still practicing drills, dear cousin?" came a harsh, condescending voice. Wincing internally, Ticoga stops his repetitions, and turns to the source. As he dismayfully guessed, Tundra had actually come to see him. Still breathing heavily, Ticoga heaves out a heavy breath and walks away from the machine, grabbing a towel off the nearby table to wipe his face.
"Tundra... I had thought you were off world." Ticoga says carefully, never taking his eyes off the blue-skinned Arcosian. Tundra's crimson bio gems gleam ominously against the dim lighting of the room.
"You would be correct, about a week or so ago." Tundra replies with a shrug. Something was off... Tundra nearly never bothered to converse with Ticoga. "And yet, here I am, when I could be off in the galaxy being productive."
Ticoga scoffs.
"Surely coming here to be smarmy isn't enough to pull you away from your plans." Ticoga counters irritably. He places the towel back on the table, and presses a switch. The windows, until now covered by hard shutters, slide open and the lights brighten. "Why did you come here? What do you want?"
Tundra smiles, and paces past Ticoga to gaze out the windows. Ticoga's residence was a small thing, and was situated on the far outskirts of Froz City. There were no neighbors, no one to listen. No one to help.
Something is definitely up with you. Ticoga thinks to himself.
"As a matter of fact, I indeed have a proper reason to come calling." Tundra replies. He turns back to Ticoga, and walks over to absently observe the training machine dummy. "As you know, the World Trade Fleet's leadership has been somewhat... lacking. Word may have even reached you, here in the gutters of Arcose, that I am on something of a rise."
"Yes, I heard about it." Ticoga replies, refusing to take the bait of Tundra's personal jab. "And I think you're going to get us both executed."
Tundra, incensed by this reply, turns and leers at Ticoga. The eyes of his cousin were always unnerving.
"Whatever could you mean by that?" Tundra asks venomously.
"I mean, that you are forgetting your place." Ticoga replies angrily. "You seem to conveniently forget that we are Low Born! The Nobles wont take your power grab lightly! We are the last descendants of our line!"
"Low Born have no lineage, thanks to our idiotic caste system." Tundra retorts, making Ticoga wince. "You let them whip you down, beat you into submission. Now look at you, ignoring your own power! Living in this squalor!"
Tundra walks up to Ticoga and places a hand on Ticoga's left shoulder.
"I will tear down the Nobles. And the so called Royal Clans if I must!" Tundra growls. "When the World Trade Fleet is mine, I will suppress the Clans, and a new order will be born! The apathetic Nobles and Royals will have no choice but to kneel to us!"
"What do you mean, us?" Ticoga asks, wary now of his cousin's treasonous words. Tundra seemed annoyed by this, as though Ticoga wasn't reading a sign right in front of his face. "This is about your ambition, not mine. And you threaten my life by speaking such words in my home!"
"Surely you can't be so stubborn?" Tundra grunts, pulling his hand off Ticoga's shoulder. "I mean, US, in that you and I share in this new power! Think of it, dear cousin... Think of what we could accomplish!"
"Is that it? You want me to join you in your treason?!" Ticoga lashes back coldly. "You are not nearly as powerful as you seem to believe you are!"
"So that's it then?" Tundra says, his voice suddenly changing and putting Ticoga on edge. "We are family, Ticoga. I want you there, at my side, as we bring the World Trade Fleet into a new era!"
"I will not partake in your foolish rebellion, Tundra." Ticoga replies, his voice hardening. For a brief moment, a look of madness appears in Tundra's eyes, but Ticoga notices all too late.
"...Very well... So be it, Ticoga." Tundra says, his voice dripping with venom. Suddenly, Tundra lashes forth, covering Ticoga's mouth with his palm. As Tigoca whips his hands up to pry the clawing grip of his cousin, Tundra's aura flares, and Ticoga suddenly feels himself rushing backwards.
The two Arcosians crash through the thinly windowed wall, and rush into the night blizzard. Ticoga manages to pry Tundra's palm off his mouth, but the blue Arcosian immediately elbows Ticoga across the jaw with his free arm. They were already several over a mile away from Ticoga's residence, and as Tigoca flies backwards to avoid Tundra's vicious advance. Tundra's face is screwed up in a horrific, maddened expression. It was clear - Tundra was going to kill anyone who stood against him.
Ticoga decides to meet his fate, and changes direction suddenly, catching Tundra by surprise, and landing a thunderous blow to Tundra's right cheek. The two trade blows, but eventually separate, back spinning until the both land on the heavy snow. Tundra grins viciously, but Ticoga takes a more solemn expression.
"I'm afraid this will be it for you, dear cousin." Tundra calls over. His aura begins to flare once more, eliciting the same from Ticoga. "Normally, I would slay my foes with my true power - but for you, I think the insult of dying at the hands of my restricted form will be more meaningful."
Ticoga grits his teeth; this was really, truly happening. Tundra was going to try and kill him. Ticoga had become an obstacle in Tundra's path, and for that, the blue skinned Arcosian had opted to silence him - to keep Ticoga from opposing him later on.
"I'm sorry it has to be this way, dear cousin." Tundra grins vilely. "But I cannot afford loose ends of any kind. You understand."
"No, you aren't." Ticoga fires back, falling into a ready stance. His simple reply is met with a grin from Tundra. "But I do understand you. You're a disgrace to your father's name."
"Ohoho... My father had his time." Tundra replies. A sudden realization causes Ticoga's eyes to widen.
"You... you didn't..." Ticoga starts, but he immediately abandons the naivety. "Foerost didn't die in that battle on Vegeta against the Saiyans... It was you. You murdered your own father!"
"And he had the same look in his eyes as you do now." Tundra taunts. "Our people are meant to be the mightiest in the universe - the weak cannot be tolerated. It's a shame though, truly, to have to kill you. You had potential, but even those with potential can be too stupid to move along with history. Instead, you will serve as a slab of stone to pave my way to my destiny!"
There was no more be said. Ticoga's crimson aura flares to life, swirling around the crimson skinned Arcosian. The two combatants hesitate for only a moment, and explode into action. The two engage in a flurry of lightning fast strikes, parries, and dodges, with neither giving the other any ground. As each strike and parry lands, the raging snow is blown away from the pair, only to be quickly replaced with more heavy snowfall. But this was no simple slugging battle; both combatants move with fluidity and grace of the Arcosian martial arts.
Tundra aims a hard kick at Ticoga's face, but he manages to block the blow, and grabs Tundra's leg. He drags the blue Arcosian through the air, spinning faster and faster, before releasing Tundra and allowing him to rocket towards the mountainside. Tundra manages to catch the ground, flipping over to land on his feet, but Ticoga is already upon him. Ticoga rams his left foot into Tundra's chest, and the two crash into the mountainside, the impact cracking like thunder, blowing snow and debris into the air.
Ticoga jumps out of the crater, but Tundra furiously follows, and the two take their battle into the sky, each blow a thunderclap. Even as the blizzard intensifies, swaths of falling snow can be seen being pushed away with each impact. Racing through the air, coming together in brief clashes, the two Arcosians seem to be on even terms. There were no further words passed between the two; there was nothing more to say. Tundra lands a vicious knee to Ticoga's stomach, making him reel back. Tundra's tail wraps around Ticoga's throat, and the crimson skinned Arcosian is dragged around, and flung towards the ground.
Ticoga manages to land on his feet, but as soon as he looks up, Tundra comes down, hands clasped together over his head, and drives them down on Ticoga's shoulder. The impact drives Ticoga into the frozen rock, cratering it from the force of the blow. Laughing, Tundra whips an open hand up, gathering his Ki. Ticoga, bloodied and bruised, manages to escape before Tundra unleashes a deadly blast that incinerates the snow, leaving only smoldering, bare rock in the blast's wake.
Ticoga flies through the air at great speed as Tundra unleashes blast after blast; hundreds of them, in an attempt to further bring his cousin low. The blast riddle against the mountainside, detonating only seconds apart. Ticoga changes course, heading directly for Tundra. Gritting his teeth in anger, Tundra raises his other hand, screaming as he unleashes a storm of Ki blasts. Ticoga swerves through the torrent of Ki, all the while gathering Ki in his right hand.
Tundra fires a blast that finally strikes Ticoga square in the face! No, it passes through him?! In his instant of confusion, Tundra had left himself open. Ticoga reappears next to Tundra, his hand glowing brightly. Tundra only has enough time to turn his eyes towards Ticoga before the treasonous Arcosian is swept up in a stream of crimson Ki. The detonation blasts away part of the mountainside in a blinding flash and deafening roll explosion. Ticoga escapes the blast radius, and waits for the smoke and steam to blow away. The blizzard obliges, and Ticoga flies down to the ground.
His expression solemn, Ticoga watches as Tundra slowly drags himself out of the massive crater. Ticoga closes his eyes briefly before walking over to Tundra. Seeing this and panicking, Tundra attempts to fire a blast at Ticoga, but the shot goes high and wide of its target, detonating harmlessly in the sky. This exertion causes Tundra to collapse in the snow, and Ticoga finally reaches Tundra. Tundra pathetically turns himself over onto his back, wheezing, and glares at Ticoga.
"Such... such wasted strength..." Tundra remarks. Ticoga frowns, shaking his head in quiet frustration. His left arm hangs uselessly at his side, blood dripping from his fingers as he kneels next to Tundra. "So... then... going to try... to... reason with me..?"
Ticoga stays silent, staring down at the cousin who had tried to kill him. Tundra grins and shakily laughs.
"You... You waste away... with your... servile... loyalty..." Tundra groans, his eyes half open. "They'll... kill you... before you can reach... your potential... We... can't let ourselves... be slaves any longer...! The Nobles... the Royals... the Saiyans... all beings in the... universe... should answer to... us..."
"And the slaves become the slavers." Ticoga replies, to which Tundra's grin widens. "Killing our own isn't the way."
"Neither... is blindly... serving those weaker... than youself..." Tundra retorts, his breathing becoming ragged, but Ticoga makes no move to aid him. "You have to crush... any who would stand... in your way... To leave none... to challenge you..."
Ticoga shakes his head silently, and pushes himself to his feet.
"Tundra... I could have believed in your cause." Ticoga admits. "But your way would only create a new cycle of infighting. We would weaken ourselves further. I can't allow this."
Tundra wheezes, staring at Ticoga for a few minutes, and finally looks to the sky.
"Then... end it... Or I... will never stop." Tundra says. "I'll kill you... and everyone else... who dares..."
Tundra falls into a coughing fit, hacking up blood. Ticoga sighs tiredly.
"Your cause dies with you, cousin." Ticoga tells the treasonous Tundra. "...Hopefully... your father will put you in your place in Hell."
Before Tundra can reply, Ticoga raises his good arm and unleashes a powerful blast of crimson Ki that swallows Tundra whole...
Ticoga opens his eyes, and looks over at a gathering of pirates. They had been conversing, and casting a number of unsavory glances Ticoga's way. It would seem that, as he could have guessed, the pirates were not so interested in answering the questions Ticoga had about the message the Saiyan Queen put out into the galaxy. He had also come to see if he could collect any intelligence on the whereabouts of not only Kayen's professed traitors, but to see if his cousin, Tundra, had made any connections out this way.
But as the pirates begin readying their energy rifles, Ticoga doubts he will get the chance.
When Arcose fell to the Saiyan Kingdom, and Arcose's own leaders attempted to destroy the planet along with their own people, Ticoga had become disillusioned with his people. First, the World Trade Fleet fell, and he found himself stuck on Arcose - only to be on the losing side again. Ledinjin's rebellion, the Saiyan Kingdom... It seemed that the World Trade Fleet's destiny was to fall.
Oh, how his ancestor, Taiga, would be ashamed. While not solely responsible for the World Trade Fleet's creation, Taiga had been a powerful asset in their efforts. A Low Born, Ticoga's ancestor still managed to gain prestige - but that prestige is not passed down through the line. Ultimately, Taiga was clanless, and so his descendants too remained disdainfully nothing more than assets to be used and tossed aside.
That is, until Ticoga's cousin, Tundra, decided to take matters into his own hands.
Ticoga still remembers the day that Tundra came to recruit him into his personal faction...
Two Years Ago, Arcose...
Ticoga wipes sweat as it pours down his cheeks, his body naked except for the bio-armor covering his chest and pelvis. Inspired by the World Trade Fleet's growing power in the face of their victory over the Saiyans, Ticoga knew that he needed to increase his power so that he may one day serve the Fleet with distinction.
Until now, he had been weak. An asset utilized in the Support Corps. during the Vegeta invasion. But, he had heard that his cousin, Tundra, had begun making some kind of power play. He was gathering allies, and even the Arcosian Wintoz seemed to be caught up in Tundra's scheming. This was not their place - power was for the powerful. The Noble Clans and the Royal Clans were the only ones worthy of such authority. For a Low Born to arrogantly step forward and openly eschew their place in the pecking order was... well, suicide. But Tundra was indeed becoming strong, and it wouldn't be long before the Higher Clans got wind of Tundra's insolence.
The damn fool was bound to get not only himself, but Ticoga killed as well. They had already been stripped of their clan name generations ago, though why that was, Ticoga did not know. But given the ambitious nature of his ancestors, and now Tundra's, it didn't take much imagination to figure out what it could have been. Holding his hands out like knives, Ticoga tries to push the thoughts from his mind, and resume his training. It was nothing more than a spinning robot with long, hardened rods, but the speed at which the rods came, and the force behind them, made the machine an excellent source for basic tests of reaction time.
He couldn't be relegated to the Support Corps. forever, but he needed to prove that he was actually worth the promotion. As Ticoga falls into yet another set of parrys and strikes, a door on the far side of the chamber slides open. Breathing heavily at his exertion, Ticoga doesn't register who had entered. Not until a voice reached him.
"Still practicing drills, dear cousin?" came a harsh, condescending voice. Wincing internally, Ticoga stops his repetitions, and turns to the source. As he dismayfully guessed, Tundra had actually come to see him. Still breathing heavily, Ticoga heaves out a heavy breath and walks away from the machine, grabbing a towel off the nearby table to wipe his face.
"Tundra... I had thought you were off world." Ticoga says carefully, never taking his eyes off the blue-skinned Arcosian. Tundra's crimson bio gems gleam ominously against the dim lighting of the room.
"You would be correct, about a week or so ago." Tundra replies with a shrug. Something was off... Tundra nearly never bothered to converse with Ticoga. "And yet, here I am, when I could be off in the galaxy being productive."
Ticoga scoffs.
"Surely coming here to be smarmy isn't enough to pull you away from your plans." Ticoga counters irritably. He places the towel back on the table, and presses a switch. The windows, until now covered by hard shutters, slide open and the lights brighten. "Why did you come here? What do you want?"
Tundra smiles, and paces past Ticoga to gaze out the windows. Ticoga's residence was a small thing, and was situated on the far outskirts of Froz City. There were no neighbors, no one to listen. No one to help.
Something is definitely up with you. Ticoga thinks to himself.
"As a matter of fact, I indeed have a proper reason to come calling." Tundra replies. He turns back to Ticoga, and walks over to absently observe the training machine dummy. "As you know, the World Trade Fleet's leadership has been somewhat... lacking. Word may have even reached you, here in the gutters of Arcose, that I am on something of a rise."
"Yes, I heard about it." Ticoga replies, refusing to take the bait of Tundra's personal jab. "And I think you're going to get us both executed."
Tundra, incensed by this reply, turns and leers at Ticoga. The eyes of his cousin were always unnerving.
"Whatever could you mean by that?" Tundra asks venomously.
"I mean, that you are forgetting your place." Ticoga replies angrily. "You seem to conveniently forget that we are Low Born! The Nobles wont take your power grab lightly! We are the last descendants of our line!"
"Low Born have no lineage, thanks to our idiotic caste system." Tundra retorts, making Ticoga wince. "You let them whip you down, beat you into submission. Now look at you, ignoring your own power! Living in this squalor!"
Tundra walks up to Ticoga and places a hand on Ticoga's left shoulder.
"I will tear down the Nobles. And the so called Royal Clans if I must!" Tundra growls. "When the World Trade Fleet is mine, I will suppress the Clans, and a new order will be born! The apathetic Nobles and Royals will have no choice but to kneel to us!"
"What do you mean, us?" Ticoga asks, wary now of his cousin's treasonous words. Tundra seemed annoyed by this, as though Ticoga wasn't reading a sign right in front of his face. "This is about your ambition, not mine. And you threaten my life by speaking such words in my home!"
"Surely you can't be so stubborn?" Tundra grunts, pulling his hand off Ticoga's shoulder. "I mean, US, in that you and I share in this new power! Think of it, dear cousin... Think of what we could accomplish!"
"Is that it? You want me to join you in your treason?!" Ticoga lashes back coldly. "You are not nearly as powerful as you seem to believe you are!"
"So that's it then?" Tundra says, his voice suddenly changing and putting Ticoga on edge. "We are family, Ticoga. I want you there, at my side, as we bring the World Trade Fleet into a new era!"
"I will not partake in your foolish rebellion, Tundra." Ticoga replies, his voice hardening. For a brief moment, a look of madness appears in Tundra's eyes, but Ticoga notices all too late.
"...Very well... So be it, Ticoga." Tundra says, his voice dripping with venom. Suddenly, Tundra lashes forth, covering Ticoga's mouth with his palm. As Tigoca whips his hands up to pry the clawing grip of his cousin, Tundra's aura flares, and Ticoga suddenly feels himself rushing backwards.
The two Arcosians crash through the thinly windowed wall, and rush into the night blizzard. Ticoga manages to pry Tundra's palm off his mouth, but the blue Arcosian immediately elbows Ticoga across the jaw with his free arm. They were already several over a mile away from Ticoga's residence, and as Tigoca flies backwards to avoid Tundra's vicious advance. Tundra's face is screwed up in a horrific, maddened expression. It was clear - Tundra was going to kill anyone who stood against him.
Ticoga decides to meet his fate, and changes direction suddenly, catching Tundra by surprise, and landing a thunderous blow to Tundra's right cheek. The two trade blows, but eventually separate, back spinning until the both land on the heavy snow. Tundra grins viciously, but Ticoga takes a more solemn expression.
"I'm afraid this will be it for you, dear cousin." Tundra calls over. His aura begins to flare once more, eliciting the same from Ticoga. "Normally, I would slay my foes with my true power - but for you, I think the insult of dying at the hands of my restricted form will be more meaningful."
Ticoga grits his teeth; this was really, truly happening. Tundra was going to try and kill him. Ticoga had become an obstacle in Tundra's path, and for that, the blue skinned Arcosian had opted to silence him - to keep Ticoga from opposing him later on.
"I'm sorry it has to be this way, dear cousin." Tundra grins vilely. "But I cannot afford loose ends of any kind. You understand."
"No, you aren't." Ticoga fires back, falling into a ready stance. His simple reply is met with a grin from Tundra. "But I do understand you. You're a disgrace to your father's name."
"Ohoho... My father had his time." Tundra replies. A sudden realization causes Ticoga's eyes to widen.
"You... you didn't..." Ticoga starts, but he immediately abandons the naivety. "Foerost didn't die in that battle on Vegeta against the Saiyans... It was you. You murdered your own father!"
"And he had the same look in his eyes as you do now." Tundra taunts. "Our people are meant to be the mightiest in the universe - the weak cannot be tolerated. It's a shame though, truly, to have to kill you. You had potential, but even those with potential can be too stupid to move along with history. Instead, you will serve as a slab of stone to pave my way to my destiny!"
There was no more be said. Ticoga's crimson aura flares to life, swirling around the crimson skinned Arcosian. The two combatants hesitate for only a moment, and explode into action. The two engage in a flurry of lightning fast strikes, parries, and dodges, with neither giving the other any ground. As each strike and parry lands, the raging snow is blown away from the pair, only to be quickly replaced with more heavy snowfall. But this was no simple slugging battle; both combatants move with fluidity and grace of the Arcosian martial arts.
Tundra aims a hard kick at Ticoga's face, but he manages to block the blow, and grabs Tundra's leg. He drags the blue Arcosian through the air, spinning faster and faster, before releasing Tundra and allowing him to rocket towards the mountainside. Tundra manages to catch the ground, flipping over to land on his feet, but Ticoga is already upon him. Ticoga rams his left foot into Tundra's chest, and the two crash into the mountainside, the impact cracking like thunder, blowing snow and debris into the air.
Ticoga jumps out of the crater, but Tundra furiously follows, and the two take their battle into the sky, each blow a thunderclap. Even as the blizzard intensifies, swaths of falling snow can be seen being pushed away with each impact. Racing through the air, coming together in brief clashes, the two Arcosians seem to be on even terms. There were no further words passed between the two; there was nothing more to say. Tundra lands a vicious knee to Ticoga's stomach, making him reel back. Tundra's tail wraps around Ticoga's throat, and the crimson skinned Arcosian is dragged around, and flung towards the ground.
Ticoga manages to land on his feet, but as soon as he looks up, Tundra comes down, hands clasped together over his head, and drives them down on Ticoga's shoulder. The impact drives Ticoga into the frozen rock, cratering it from the force of the blow. Laughing, Tundra whips an open hand up, gathering his Ki. Ticoga, bloodied and bruised, manages to escape before Tundra unleashes a deadly blast that incinerates the snow, leaving only smoldering, bare rock in the blast's wake.
Ticoga flies through the air at great speed as Tundra unleashes blast after blast; hundreds of them, in an attempt to further bring his cousin low. The blast riddle against the mountainside, detonating only seconds apart. Ticoga changes course, heading directly for Tundra. Gritting his teeth in anger, Tundra raises his other hand, screaming as he unleashes a storm of Ki blasts. Ticoga swerves through the torrent of Ki, all the while gathering Ki in his right hand.
Tundra fires a blast that finally strikes Ticoga square in the face! No, it passes through him?! In his instant of confusion, Tundra had left himself open. Ticoga reappears next to Tundra, his hand glowing brightly. Tundra only has enough time to turn his eyes towards Ticoga before the treasonous Arcosian is swept up in a stream of crimson Ki. The detonation blasts away part of the mountainside in a blinding flash and deafening roll explosion. Ticoga escapes the blast radius, and waits for the smoke and steam to blow away. The blizzard obliges, and Ticoga flies down to the ground.
His expression solemn, Ticoga watches as Tundra slowly drags himself out of the massive crater. Ticoga closes his eyes briefly before walking over to Tundra. Seeing this and panicking, Tundra attempts to fire a blast at Ticoga, but the shot goes high and wide of its target, detonating harmlessly in the sky. This exertion causes Tundra to collapse in the snow, and Ticoga finally reaches Tundra. Tundra pathetically turns himself over onto his back, wheezing, and glares at Ticoga.
"Such... such wasted strength..." Tundra remarks. Ticoga frowns, shaking his head in quiet frustration. His left arm hangs uselessly at his side, blood dripping from his fingers as he kneels next to Tundra. "So... then... going to try... to... reason with me..?"
Ticoga stays silent, staring down at the cousin who had tried to kill him. Tundra grins and shakily laughs.
"You... You waste away... with your... servile... loyalty..." Tundra groans, his eyes half open. "They'll... kill you... before you can reach... your potential... We... can't let ourselves... be slaves any longer...! The Nobles... the Royals... the Saiyans... all beings in the... universe... should answer to... us..."
"And the slaves become the slavers." Ticoga replies, to which Tundra's grin widens. "Killing our own isn't the way."
"Neither... is blindly... serving those weaker... than youself..." Tundra retorts, his breathing becoming ragged, but Ticoga makes no move to aid him. "You have to crush... any who would stand... in your way... To leave none... to challenge you..."
Ticoga shakes his head silently, and pushes himself to his feet.
"Tundra... I could have believed in your cause." Ticoga admits. "But your way would only create a new cycle of infighting. We would weaken ourselves further. I can't allow this."
Tundra wheezes, staring at Ticoga for a few minutes, and finally looks to the sky.
"Then... end it... Or I... will never stop." Tundra says. "I'll kill you... and everyone else... who dares..."
Tundra falls into a coughing fit, hacking up blood. Ticoga sighs tiredly.
"Your cause dies with you, cousin." Ticoga tells the treasonous Tundra. "...Hopefully... your father will put you in your place in Hell."
Before Tundra can reply, Ticoga raises his good arm and unleashes a powerful blast of crimson Ki that swallows Tundra whole...
Present
Ticoga opens his eyes, and looks over at a gathering of pirates. They had been conversing, and casting a number of unsavory glances Ticoga's way. It would seem that, as he could have guessed, the pirates were not so interested in answering the questions Ticoga had about the message the Saiyan Queen put out into the galaxy. He had also come to see if he could collect any intelligence on the whereabouts of not only Kayen's professed traitors, but to see if his cousin, Tundra, had made any connections out this way.
But as the pirates begin readying their energy rifles, Ticoga doubts he will get the chance.
