New Recruits? (Cato)

The size of the Heran's ship surprised even Cato. It was bigger by far than the ship she had been tracking through space for the last month, and it did seem to add some credibility to the Heran's plans. If he was planning to launch an attack on Earth, this did seem like the kind of ship that would be able to ferry the kind of army you would need to do it. 

She tapped at her scouter as her pod came into dock. It wasn't hard to isolate where the Heran was, and to her surprise, he had come down to greet the incoming ships personally. When she heard him call for her to exit, she took a little time -- she didn't know how well this would go, and she was a long way away from trusting his man yet. She put her pod into idle, but input coordinates back to Plant, in the event she needed to make a quick escape.

Finally, she clicked the escape and the pod door creaked open. The purple-haired Saiyan stepped out, garbed in similar black armour that she wore back on Plant.

"This place is nice," she commented, in an idle sort of tone. "I'm going to guess you pried it out of the grasp of some warlord or another."

She shrugged her shoulders, stepping closer.

"You mentioned this place. I figured I'd come here and see if I really thought you were capable of carrying through all those plans you mentioned. No offense, of course. You can't always judge someone off of a power reading alone."

---

Cato took another glance around the ship, a little more impressed by the Heran's explanation. It was one thing if he had won it from some warlord or another, but the fact that this place was apparently built out of pocket was a more significant feat. Certainly, it reflected well on his ability to get things done--even if she still harboured doubts about the grand plan he was enacting.

She shrugged her shoulders lightly and followed along as he led the way.

"Seeing how capable you all are would go a long way to figuring out how likely it is that this Earth battle will be worth attending," Cato replied. "I'm all for a hard-fought fight, win or lose. But we've got to at least stand a chance for that to happen. I ran into some pretty tough people down on Earth, even if most of that planet is populated by pushovers."

In truth, she had no doubt that the Heran could mount an effective invasion of Earth where the rank-and-file were concerned. Even a single squadron of Saiyans would be able to overrun Earth's armies with relative ease. It was the martial artists that posed a real problem, some of whom had Saiyan blood themselves.

"They'll detect this thing coming a long way away," she noted. "But it sounds like you're more than okay with that."

---

Cato glanced around the room idly, until her attention was directed to the documents in question. Derry and Celerous were familiar to her, but the others were unknowns. She didn't relish the idea of fighting Celerous, if only because she could already imagine the look of disappointment on his face given how polite he had been with her during their last encounter.

"He's an odd Saiyan," Cato noted, when she glanced at his document. "He doesn't relish fighting the way most of us do. But he does seem the type to be willing to go down swinging when it comes to his home or his friends. I suppose that makes him just as dangerous as even the most bloodthirsty of warriors."

Then, Cato hesitated. It wasn't a surprise to hear Lottus' name mentioned, but it was at least a little concerning. He would undoubtedly be able to cause severe damage on Earth, but only short weeks ago she had been on par with him. She wasn't eager to see him throw himself into an attack on the planet, knowing how likely it would be that they would need to kill him to stop his rampage.

"I know Lottus," she said. "He's a friend. I'm not sure I know anything about alien birds."

"I can't say for sure whether or not I would be able to join in on your attack. It's certainly the kind of thing that I'd be behind, under normal circumstances. But things are up in the air here on Plant--so if you want my answer here and now, it's that I'll back you if I can, but only if Plant hasn't fallen into a civil war by that point."

---

Cato shrugged lazily.

"I don't even know her, and I say say that yes--she probably has a fair share of enemies. Ever since the last King went missing, people have been whispering about what might come next, and who might come next. Now that we know who's next, all that energy people spent looking into alternatives and planning for the future isn't going to go up in smoke.

"She has her work cut out for her," Cato managed a weak smile. "That's all."

In some ways, Cato wondered if they hadn't grown accustomed to the empty throne. It was easy to imagine what the Kingdom might 'want', or what might be 'good' for the Kingdom when that Kingdom had no face and no voice. Now that it did, Cato fully expected the worst to happen, no matter how effective this new monarch was. It was like she told Brumal weeks ago: any throne with a history of passing hands through bloodshed invited more bloodshed.

"I doubt there'll be any direct attacks against her anytime soon," she added, as an afterthought. "But that doesn't mean people won't be taking the next while to decide whether or not they're really going to pledge allegiance. I imagine it was the same with the last King--not everyone was willing to follow him either. Some of his own people challenged him on occasion, didn't they?"

---

"It's not guaranteed," Cato clarified. "It's just a suspicion. If the new monarch turns out to be effective in unifying the Saiyans behind her, then it'll be a whole other story. It just remains to be seen if this new leader can rally a people used to fighting amongst themselves."

The last time the throne changed hands, Cato was still off fighting some war in the far reaches of space, for a warlord she wasn't even sure she could pick from a crowd if she was put on the spot. But she knew that not everyone had been happy then, and not everyone would be happy now. It was a dangerous position to hold.

"I'm loyal to the ideals of the Saiyan race," Cato replied, dancing around how best to answer the question. "So I suppose it depends on what our new leader decides they want to do. If they have a cause I can get behind, then they can count on my power behind them. If they want to take us in the direction of Earth with their restrictions on power and surveillance and everything else going on over there, then they can count on me either resisting--or throwing in my lot elsewhere."

"What do you want to see happen on Plant, if you really do stay to 'mediate' things?"

---

Cato turned her attention back down at the documents on the table. Celerous didn't worry her: she didn't think he would ever back an invasion of Plant. But the President was another matter. She couldn't get a handle on what type of person he was, and if he really did mean to cause trouble for Plant, he probably could.

But would Brumal really consent to an invasion of Plant? She didn't know where that fit in with the whole idea about galactic balance.

"As long as you don't have designs on Plant, I don't imagine many contenders to the throne would find any reason to interfere with your plants for Earth or Arcose. And... you're probably right about their alliance, but that seems--odd, doesn't it?" Cato wrinkled her nose. "Earth is full of people who preach peace and pacifism, so why would they back the most expansionist empire across the galaxy?"

The answer probably lied in the President himself, and whatever plans he had lurking behind his public guise. Politicians were always slippery.

"I don't know much about you, or Clan Bitterbones, or Derry, or anything about Arcose other than its Emperors," Cato began, slowly. "But if you really want to court Saiyan power, you should talk to Vocado. He's more powerful than me by far, and his many years experience on the battlefield have made him crafty."

"As much as it pains me to admit it, he's a far better warrior than I am."

---

Cato winced at the thought. It was the sort of thing that she could see causing Plant to devolve into internal conflict, if it were ever introduced. A registry for the powerful was a good way to keep track of potential threats, but it also meant an air of suspicion that seemed out of place with the peace and harmony that Earth seemed to want to foster. At least, outside of its highest halls of governance.

"It does sound like he wants to expand his control," Cato admitted. "And I suppose securing the Empire as a willing protector of his regime would put removing him beyond the means of Earthlings, no matter what he tries to do. When you put it like that, it's almost kind of clever."

She decided it was probably better off not telling the Heran why Vocado was so hard to reach over the past while, and instead just nodded in agreement.

"He can be a little tricky to reach, but I can let him know you're looking for him the next time I see him. He tends to be on Plant, and I'm not sure you'd be able to summon him up here. He might be too cautious for that, with everything going on."

She hesitated, and then tilted her head. "You think I have more potential than any Saiyan? I mean, I appreciate it -- but Lottus gained so much power between our two fights, I think you might be underestimating him a little bit."

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