Political Favors [Invite]

While Derry adjusts his scouter sunglasses for a second time on his head, the android introduces himself as K414, the meaning behind such a name a complete mystery to the presidential candidate. That part doesn't matter as much as his affiliations, since the machine apparently worked for some Lord Boreal for a while until he came across Azoth. K414 starts going on about a little story about how General Hibernal apparently had a daughter, a daughter that Derry was very much familiar with, though he didn't wish to interrupt him in the middle of his plans. Instead, he wishes to merely listen to what the android has to say and absorb as much information as he can, all the while make some sort of mental plan in his head as to what to do next.

Another little nugget of knowledge that K414 passes onto Derry is that Ise is technically putting Azoth's rule into question considering that she's practically Hibernal's daughter, a piece that he might use later on. He's aware of the power a claim to the emperor's throne can have, but it's only been further confirmed by the machine as he then asks Derry if he could possibly watch over the little saiyan as well, fearing that she might get herself killed one day. He's not even president yet and already he holds some potential power over the future of Arcose.

Once K414 finishes his rambling, Derry finally speaks up and replies, "Well, K414, I do have to admit that I'm already aware of a few of these sorts of things. More specifically Ise. I met her while I was on vacation on Plant about a month or so ago, but I haven't really heard from her since then. Good kid, not going to lie. Never really got to say my condolences since Hibernal was still alive at the time."

He shifts around in his seat a bit and continues, "If I ever do figure out where exactly she is, I'll be sure nothing bad happens to her, though might I ask a few things about you, if it doesn't trouble you too much?" Derry leans forward in his chair, intent on learning just what exactly makes this android tick. "What about you? How do you feel about the late General Hibernal? Azoth? What is your stake in this manner?" Knowing more about K414's true allegience will certainly help Derry navigate around him and make sure he doesn't say anything that might truly upset the android. He could possibly be a useful ally one day, or a threat that he'll be forced to deal with later.

Word Count: 441

The android relaxes for a bit once Derry tells him that he'll help Ise out should he find her again. K414 thanks him for the assistance, making Derry wonder if it isn't necessarily loyalty to Azoth or Hibernal that makes him care about the safety about Ise, but rather the saiyan herself. He'll definitely have to ask him about that, but at the moment he's still trying to figure out the machine's true allegiance and whether or not he might become an issue in the future. He starts by slightly chastising Derry for not waiting for him to say yes, to which Derry responds, "Heh, my apologies. I get a bit carried away with questions sometimes." The thought of getting to know more about his targets always gets Derry just a bit too excited, and he tends to jump the gun with questions. At least he hasn't earned the machine's ire. Yet.

After hearing K414's thoughts about Hibernal and Azoth, and especially how he doesn't particularly care about either one, Derry believes that it's safe to conclude that there's something between going on between him and Ise, whether he was programmed to help her out or just looking out for her as a friend. It's clear that he holds no strong allegiance to either leader, and rather cares more about Ise's safety than them. Potential plans already start filling Derry's mind as he thinks about how he could not only garner two new powerful allies, but also potentially help take care of Azoth if things between him and the emperor get sour. "I see..." Derry mutters under his breath, a little bit excited at the possibilities that may unfold in the future.

Before he could further elaborate, K414 asks whether or not Derry's pompadour was real, the candidate a bit unsure as to what specifically. "Well, yeah, it's my real hair," Derry replies after giving it a bit of a gentle tug, making sure not to mess up his style, "but I'm not naturally pink, but blonde." He attempts to move past such a silly comment and focus more on what's at least a little bit more important. "You wouldn't happen to have any information in regards to Ise's current whereabouts? I can at least send over some of my best men to give her a hand at the very least." He reaches over towards the table nearby and takes a sip of water from his glass before continuing, "You seem to care quite a lot about Ise's safety. Are you two friends? Are you programmed to assist her, or are you independent?" 

Word Count: 436

It seems as if K414 was still a bit confused as to how Derry has pink hair when he says that he's naturally pink. He supposes that he shouldn't be too surprised that dyes aren't exactly common on planets like Arcose given how most of the people over there don't even have any hair to begin with. "It's pink dye," Derry clarifies, brushing his hair lightly with his hand, "We sometimes cover our hair in the stuff and it changes the color." Afterwards he falls silent and listens to what the android has to say to him. He first denies Derry's extra guards before clarifying that he and Ise aren't exactly friends, but rather because she would be all alone if he didn't help her out while sharing what might be some sort of rumor or exaggeration of what goes on over in Azoth's empire. Perhaps he might be a bigger problem than Derry originally thought. "That might make negotiations a bit difficult if that's how Azoth goes about his business," Derry comments.

K414 then brings up about how he finds it a bit insulting that Derry asked if the android was programed or is actually freethinking, stating that he's empathetic like many of his own kind. Derry himself has met plenty of androids throughout his life, though most of them are typically more robotic than anything else, and the actually sentient ones tend to come from space. The tech that the tuffles and arcosians have is rather advanced, after all. "Ah, I suppose we are a bit behind in the times here on Earth in that regard. My apologies," Derry responds, "But again, I will do what I can to help Ise out. In fact, if you find her, could you possibly escort her to one of the Snake Eyes Casinos? One can be found in each city, though it would be best to bring her over to the one in Central City. I do believe a second meeting with the saiyan at this point is due. You are, of course, invited if you wish."

Derry gets up from his chair and starts pacing around the room, prepared to admit a few things to the android now that he's heard the machine's side of matters. "Well on a more personal note," he starts, "it doesn't entirely matter who sits on the Arcosian throne so long as they're willing to cooperate, though personally I find there to be some potential trouble with both Azoth and Hibernal, not to mention my own feelings about another planetary leader, Queen Rosemary of Plant. It's... It's quite the fine line to tread, that's for sure." 

Word Count: 444

K414 comments about how it's Azoth's lack of differences in the way he goes about his business compared to Hibernal that's the main issue. From what the android is saying, Azoth touts the name of a rebel to appeal to the masses and free them from the shackles that others placed, only to avoid tearing the system itself down. He gets the reputation of a rebel while also benefiting from the policies of the old leaders. "The power the throne grants him is just too much for him to simply give up, I take it," Derry mentions, "After all, it allows him to make whatever decisions he wants. Why make a decision that would negatively effect you? The people won't complain, at least, not for a while. He's a rebel, after all. The one who took down a 'tyrant' and saved the people. Who would stand against a 'hero' like Azoth?"

Once Derry mentions bringing Ise over to the Snake Eyes Casino, the android starts internally debating about the idea. He almost seems to be too interested in the idea of hanging around a casino, though he asks that Derry makes sure that Ise doesn't gamble since she's a minor. "We're very strict about minors at the casino, K414," Derry reassures the machine and waves it off, "Besides, she won't be hanging around on the main floors anyway. It can get pretty dangerous down there, what with all of the rather angry men, women, and other sorts losing a fortune at a game of chance, not to mention that there's usually a drunkard around the corner. I've been meaning to beef up security, though..."

Once the candidate mentions how Rosemary is now the Queen of Plant, the android looks at him strangely and looks like he's pondering on that piece of information. "We're going to have to learn how to get along once I'm president, though there's a little bit of bad blood between us," Derry mentions, "Used to be business partners before she became queen, actually, but let's say she disagreed with a deal I made with the tuffles. Don't blame her though. Bit of a shame, too. I always liked her work."

K414 mentions that Derry is becoming president at seemingly the worst time possible and thinks that's why nobody else is competing against him. K414 might be right about the competition considering how many others would bow out of the race at that point, but Derry very much has plans for the future, and given how new both Azoth and Rosemary are when it comes to ruling their worlds, the timing actually couldn't be better for Derry specifically. He isn't going up against veterans, but amateurs in their positions like him. None of them truly have experience in ruling a planet, so they're practically on even footing. "We're all a bit new to this sense of power, K414," Derry replies, "It's volatile, that's for sure, but I've been making plans. Plans for... a while now, actually. I intend on being prepared for what the future could hold."

The android also suggests trying to hide Earth's presence similar to how many people think Namek doesn't really exist. It's a fun thought, but it's something Derry has absolutely no intention on doing. For his plans and ambitions, the exact opposite must happen: He must make Earth known. "An interesting suggestion, but I have no plans on hiding," Derry declares, "In times like these, cooperation and trust with other planets is practically necessary to guarantee safety from other threats. To keep Earth safe, I must tackle these issues head on. I can't afford hiding."

The door to Derry's trailer opens up and a single guard enters with a cup of oil. "I got yer cup o' oil right 'ere," he states before dropping it off next to K414 and leaving. Though he didn't appreciate being interrupted, the guard's arrival did remind Derry of something. "If you don't mind me asking, you aren't all machine, are you?"

Word Count: 669

K414 states that it isn't exactly impossible for there to be a third superpower in the galaxy, hinting at Arcose and Plant being the heavy hitters at the moment unsurprisingly. Though it does make Derry wonder if being compared to plants that houses plenty of pirates such as Hera or one that is currently experiencing a planet wide civil war is really a compliment. "Yeah, lots of catching up to do," Derry comments, now a little bit frustrated at the thought of just how ineffective the Earth's previous leaders have been. He originally wanted this position to make as much money as possible, but now it's starting to get a bit more complicated.

Once the guard passes the android his oil and Derry asks about his flesh, K414 almost spits out his oil as if it's such a ridiculous question. He states that he's got it where it matters after knocking on his head a bit before continuing on, explaining how he was once a saiyan. He mentions that he never truly felt complete until he had all of this wiring and machinery strapped to his body, though the candidate couldn't help but smirk when he tries to offer him some oil. He puts his hand up and states, "No thanks. It's a bit, er, toxic for humans. At least, as far as I'm aware of. Who knows, maybe there's some random guy out in the middle of nowhere who drinks the stuff."

Derry sits back down on his seat and takes out his scouter sunglasses before asking, "You, er, happen to have a scouter frequency number? My sunglasses here pair as a scouter and can receive calls, so I can pretty much pick up at anytime. We could possibly schedule a meeting and bring Ise over to the casino eventually. What do you say?"

Word Count: 308

Strangely enough K414 decides to pour the remaining oil on top of his hair. Sure, humans do something similar with water or trying to fix their hair, but oil? This machine was certainly a strange one, that's for sure. As the android comments about how 'cute' a scouter frequency number is, he prints out a piece of paper from his chest and hands it off to Derry, saying that it'll be their own personal frequency. Derry grabs hold of the paper and starts looking it over as K414 asks the candidate to give him 100 hours to get Ise ready. "No need to rush anything, but I suppose sooner is better than later," he comments as he places the piece on the table next to him. He's going to need a bit of help completely translating it considering its strange pattern, but he'll get it. Eventually.

While Derry continues glancing over at that sheet, K414 begins trying to advertise his services to him, saying that he can calculate at breakneck speeds and can even pack a punch himself. He leans back into his chair as he listens in on the android's little speech about himself, the machine commenting on how he'll just take the pay of one man and that he can fix just about any sort of blight that might appear on Derry's campaign. "Well it's certainly enticing, K414," Derry replies after getting a chance to speak. He's definitely going to need to get used to how life is on Earth first, but the candidate is confident that he'll be all set soon enough. 

"Consider me interested, but perhaps we shouldn't rush things. Not taking the time to think things over can prove to be rather disastrous, after all," Derry states, "Perhaps we'll talk more about your potential services when you arrive at the casino with Ise, perhaps? We can take care of both ends of business that way, yes?" He doubts that he's capable of adding the android to the ranks of the Dirty Snakes, but perhaps if he's capable of putting on a good show for the machine, he might at the very least consider it. Having such a powerful ally among their ranks is certainly beneficial, especially since it'll make up for Yangcong's recent absence. Derry presumes he's on Plant, but he has absolutely no idea what it is that he's planning.

Word Count: 399