Message In A Bottle

She’d given her word that she would try and that was all she could do. The Arcosian no doubt had spies in place to keep tabs on the goings on here on Plant, she wasn’t foolish enough to believe that the Arcosian Empire didn’t spy on all of its neighbours to some degree so it was safe to assume that Mint…Emperor Mint…she corrected herself, was going to know if his message was delivered or not. She found it strange that the Lizard had made no mention of Empress Ise or Emperor Brumal in his request to pass on greetings and the such to the Saiyan King, but Jagaimo had learned a while ago now not to try and understand how alien races minds worked compared to her own or what they’re motives might be. They were as varied as the planets in the universe and would just be a headache to try and catalogue them all. The young Saiyan had said she’d try to get the message to her King and that is what she would do. Try. There was certainly no guarantee that she would even be able to get within shouting distance of the man. She certainly had no credentials to her name…she didn’t even have a sealed message with the Arcosian’s seal on it as proof…just some words to pass on from one of the biggest former crime bosses in the Arcosian Empire, who now ruled the the same Empire in part with two others who seemed to have no particular feelings for Plant either way, except that if the Saiyan’s attacked Arcose they would retaliate and it would be devastating.

The message in itself wasn’t the problem. King Taori would either listen to it or he wouldn’t. The problem was getting far enough through the palace grounds to be able to deliver it personally like she said she would. Jagaimo had made her way towards the palace almost as soon as she had arrived back on Plant, foregoing her usual homecoming ritual of heading into the Radditsu District to catch up with old friends and swap stories. She’d at least had the foresight to change her clothes, although she couldn’t quite bring herself to don the old battered armour that she used to live in…it didn’t feel right to wear it after all the events that had occurred recently. It didn’t really feel part of her anymore like it used to. Instead she was in what Earthlings called combat trousers and a pink tank top that showed of the corded muscles of her arms and shoulders…why these items of clothing had such strange names the young Saiyan hadn’t quite figured out, the trousers barely looked like they’d hold together in a good fight while the top was certainly not as solidly built as a tank and was in fact quite flimsy. Still they were comfortable and paired with her heavy military boots gave her enough freedom to move about quickly if the need arose. Her scouter was another item she had decided to leave behind…her senses could pick up most beings these days and the scouter was just another way for someone to track her…something she liked them not to be able to do right now.

With her power pushed right down to how many long serving soldiers might have remembered it, Jagaimo approached the main gates to seek her audience with the king…

Where she was promptly stopped by a pair of guards in very well maintained and cleaned battle armour, their scouters telling them everything the Saiyan’s had on record about her. She doubted it was a very long file so she stood there with her chin raised looking dead ahead at the door as if it was going to open for her through will alone. She took a step towards the gateway and was met with a hand on her shoulder impeding her progress, the guards eyes locking with hers. Jagaimo could tell they were both strong, many of the guards around the palace were Elite Class warriors but to her surprise only a handful of the power she could feel in and around the palace grounds exceeded her own. She had no way to identify them, but these two guards didn’t fall into that small handful of equals.

“State your business soldier.”

His voice was gruff and to the point, which tracked with what he had likely read on his scouter about her, the energy she was giving off was maybe a tenth of what they both showed and the young woman didn’t think they’d have any reason to hide what they were capable of from her. In fact they were probably taking delight in lording it over her. She sighed and took a step back, eyes moving from the man's hand to his face and then to his companion,

“I have an important message for the King.”

She didn’t elaborate just yet, the young warrior didn’t feel the need to but when the guard who’d stopped her raised an eyebrow and looked her over he started to shake his head, a finger tapping the side of his scouter for a moment,

“Well you can leave it with us and we’ll make sure he gets it. No unauthorised admittance to the palace. ”

She caught the smirk from the man's colleague out of the corner of her eye. Whatever information she gave these two it would never reach the king's ears, but breaking through the gates was not the impression she wanted to make when she was about to pass on a message from one of the Arcosian ruling three.

“Now give us the message if you have one and scrag off, you're not getting through today.”

The other guard made to push her shoulder again but the action was cut short as Jagaimo slapped his hand away, not enough to do any damage but enough to stop him from laying a finger on her. Even without looking Jagaimo could feel the first speaker tensing to come to the aid of his companion, who, was himself bristling red faced with anger at being stopped from pushing her away but before he could say anything the young lady raised a hand to stop him,

“As I said, I have an important message for the King. I have just come from Arcose and have word from their new ruler for the King's ear only.”

Maybe the truth would work this time. She saw the look on their faces, intentions starting to show in the features as they processed what she had just said and came up with a plan of action. She was no traitor but she could see them thinking it and how they were measuring up the weight of what she had said. Did she really have a message for the King or was she just trying to get close to him? Both guards moved this time, flanking her on either side, watching her more closely now, one of them opening his mouth to speak but again she cut them off before they could say anything,

“If you try to lay a hand on me again you're both going to wake up in the infirmary I promise you that, and I will still be here waiting to see the King.”

Jagaimo wasn’t usually one to make threats but the young warrior was slowly losing patience with these two…

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There was a yelp and a heavy thump like something colliding and hitting the ground before the gates used by visitors to the palace slowly slide open and the young woman in a pink tank topped stepped through the threshold, tossing the access card over from her hand over one shoulder to fall on the floor beside two unconscious Saiyan’s laying in a heap together… Jagaimo held her hands away from her body and splayed her fingers, hoping someone with more brains than the last two would recognise that she didn’t mean any harm, she just wanted to deliver her message. She couldn’t stop herself from muttering when she recalled her earlier thoughts, although technically she hadn’t broken through the gates…

“So much for first impressions.”