All Along The Watchtower (Jango)

"Piece a junk," Jango complained aloud, aiming another frustrated kick at the ship's non-responsive controls. "Knew that deal was too good to be true." A 'slightly' used single-person untraceable pod, half off! Jango was many things. Rich, strong, arrogant... frugal. The Cerealian huffed as her vessel slowly ambled toward the sunny fields of Namek below. "Guess it lasted me into North Galaxy." And UNLIKE many other chumps, she had no intention of cratering herself and attracting unwanted attention. The quick look Jango had at the planet wasn't very promising. Rolling fields, lots of nature and ocean, and absolutely barren of anywhere obvious to get a replacement ship OR a ride off this rock.

The emergency exit hatch popped, and the pilot climbed out and dug her fingers into the sides of the pod, the metal scrunching beneath her grip. Jango took a sharp turn toward the ground, hoisting the useless ship above her head as she descended. One boots met grass, she'd slowly set it down. "Shit. Hope I don't have to do a Siren's Call." I.E., rigging a distress signal to bait another ship into landing before promptly 'permanently borrowing' it. Jango cracked her knuckles, head swiveling toward an energy signature that seemed to be moving closer. Triple digits? Certainly no pushover, but nothing that she couldn't handle if things turned sour.

She seemed to have landed in the midst of rolling grass fields. Slight inclines and green knolls cheerily stretched on as far as the eye could see, and THREE entire suns burned bright in the sky. Jango would climb atop her defunct pod, easily spotting Gandigan as he trailed a stone's throw away. "What's good, mate?" The pirate's voice projected itself with a thrum of power across the distance, ringing crystal clear to the Namekian with his (presumably) enhanced hearing. "Don't suppose you could lend a hand?"

Fancy way of talking. Jango shrugged. "Nah. Was just gonna ask if you knew anywhere to get a ship or a ride. This here 'ship' is about spent." Her nose crinkled, a boot kicking the side of the pod. "Though. 'Suppose it'd be mighty rude and all to leave a scrap heap out here." Not that she cared that much, but the strange Alien still had information had could offer up - information that would be held much closer to his chest if Jango started coming off as rude or intimidating. "Strong fella," She'd remark. "You a big shot around here? Where I come from, that sort of power is in the hands of the famous and infamous."

The Cerealian waved, giving loose permission for Gandigan to shoulder the broken craft if he wanted. Namek, huh? Not seeing many Aliens didn't surprise Jango a bit; the landscape already screamed 'idealistic and untouched.' "Aye. I bet you don't. Truth be told, I was hoping to make it a leg farther up the quadrant to a different planet. Got some folks to visit." Plant. Home of the supposedly all-powerful Super Saiyans, golden warriors of legend. "Can't say I've heard that much about Namek before. What're you, then? A Namekjin?

"Guess it could resell. Pay for its own replacement." Jango was wealthy ENOUGH - assuming she actually had all her assets with her. Most of the woman's money went toward her super secret fund, with the rest barely helping her scrape by. Of course, she wasn't averse to stealing something cheap and escaping the planet that way, but the less hassle, the better. "We'll see. I can't imagine the prices for high-quality starcraft will be anything but cutthroat, considering the competition... or lack thereof."

Gandigan's explanation of how there were 'lots' of people he knew stronger than him piqued Jango's interest immensely. "Really now? That sort of power spread isn't exactly normal." Or maybe it was, and North Galaxy just happened to foster stronger warriors naturally.

"Guru... what's that? Your leader?" Any gurus she knew were either two-bit snake oil salesmen preying on the desperate or old recluses that meditated far away from society. Jango had a feeling Nero was Guru with a capital G. "And Zhalla. The name sounds Saiyan. You say she's also stronger than you?" The woman's red eye glowed with curiosity.

Jango let out a small laugh at Gandigan's bewilderment. "Never seen ya or the likes of ya before. Dunno what a Mazoku is, either. I was HEADING to Plant, but I ain't ever been to this sector of the galaxy before." She'd follow in the Namekian's path, continuing to make idle chatter. "I'm Cerealian. Well. Half, but considering how many of us there are, I like to prioritize that bit of heritage. Doubt you'd have heard of us."

"Lucky you," Jango replied cheerily. She had a nice cruiser, back in the day. A big shielded ship with hyperdrive and lotsa cargo room. The galactic feds seized it. Since this was a one-woman operation anyway, better to buy junk she wouldn't get attached to. "Most of my secondhand stuff works fine. Just got stiffed on this one, methinks." As Gangidan explained more of Namek's situation, Jango's thoughts drifted to hammy drama shows and novels. "So the most important guy on Namek who has authority over most of the Namekians isn't a Namekian? Ha! Bet that'll make for a good story." Besides her general anti-establishment sentiments (for obvious reasons), Jango followed a single idea: if they could do a good job, who cares.

"And you said you're Mazoku. What do you think of Nero?" Disappointingly he couldn't confirm if Zhalla was or was not a Saiyan, but given her close ties with the non-Namekian Guru, it wasn't out of the question. "Maybe I should see about meeting them before I go. Just to see the sights." The conversation continued. Jango had to double-take at Gandigan casually saying he had visited the afterlife. "Ye what now? Like the spirit world? The place parents tell superstitious children about to keep 'em from causing trouble?"

The woman snorted, head shaking. "Maybe this detour wasn't so bad. Learning all sorts of things today. Anyway, we don't really have a place to 'hail from' anymore. Planet Cereal is..." Occupied by ignorant buyers who purchased a planet wiped in blood? "...Done and dusted. Gone, essentially. Most of my kin are scattered around the cosmos."

"That's good," Jango replied genuinely. Her life was plagued by corrupt politicians, underhanded leaders, and tyrants who led by fear and 'divine right.' If Namek had a leader they were truly content with, that'd make it an anomaly. "I've seen my fair share of dictators getting overthrown and trampled for a lifetime. Nero isn't perfect, but if he's genuinely tryna help, keep in mind you guys got lucky." Her casual smirk tightened into a strained smile, an orange energy dagger forming in her hand as she idly ran her hand across the blade. "And I got nothing nefarious plotted for Namek." Even if she was, often, nefarious. "Shouldn't be a problem keeping my hands clean."

The Cerealian would force her expression to slacken, dismissing her blade. "So, candles," Jango continued with a semblance of levity. "You're telling me that this mystical other dimension of life and death can be breached with some candles? That's hilarious." She didn't laugh. "I wonder if..." Her thoughts ambled. Ideas that maybe she could meet some of her kin, even in death. "Nah. Probably been too long." Focus on the living. Jango still had a job to do, and obligations to fulfill for those who still persisted. "Good luck with your hunt. Tracking down slimy bastards isn't easy on a good day. Can't imagine how it is, factoring Hell in. Is that place really all fire and brimstone?"

Did she have anyone on Plant...? "Hope so. Dad was a Saiyan. We got along. Was mostly curious about all these legends and rumors floating around. Super Saiyans, they say. Sounds far-fetched to me. Wanted to see if it was true or not with my own eyes." Jango fell silent. She didn't need to share her grandiose goals of reuniting her people with a random Alien she'd just met. "So, er, what were you doing out this far? Not much around I saw, besides this weird streak cutting through the land... looked to be in the direction you came from, too."

"Normally someone expressing a need for certain items would be met with 'I know a guy', but sadly, I don't. Could keep an ear to the ground and send someone your way if you're willing to tolerate the price." Fueling revenge missions! Why not? "Demons are mercurial little buggers. Some wanted to flay me like a fish and others seemed like differently colored humanoids. Saw a few possession NS in my time, never usually ended well for the victim. How'd you end up slipping free?" Maybe something else to do with plane-defying candles or magic Gurus.

"I don't even think they're real, but supposedly, Super Saiyans are golden warriors of immense power. Strong enough to shatter planets whole. Mighty enough to bring entire galaxies to heel. Though figured if there was any truth to it, we'd be seeing more about 'em than just rumors. Personally? I wouldn't put much faith in it." Gandigan did seem to take the mere possibility VERY seriously. Still. Jango at max capacity wouldn't be able to scratch someone into the millions, let alone a Namekian who just breached triple digits.

"How modern. And practical. Do Namekians travel often, or is this is attempt to encourage travelling?" They hadn't seen a single other soul since they started walking. If Gandigan hadn't happened to be where he was, Jango could've been stuck wandering the fields for a while. "You expect any pushback on that project? My pockets have been a little light recently and it sounds like a good cause to also make a living off of."

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"Huh. And here I took this planet for a quiet backwater." Seems odd for so much to happen on a, galactic scale speaking, irrelevant planet. "Y'all get a lot of demon trouble around here?" With a full scar to boot! "Rough. I got a few, but nothing that severe. Almost a miracle you survived." And yet his work was not yet done. Gandigan had failed to finish Amon. "Sounds like something you're itching to put an end to." She observantly mentioned. Something that he might be willing to fork over a hefty finder's fee for, if Jango happened to cross any of these dead realm candles.

"That's right. Planets. Like I said, you'd figure we'd have a few reports of planets blowing up if it were true."

Gandigan seemed an idealist. Someone trying to build up and protect Namek far beyond what anyone before him had tried. "Ah. So this is basically bandit country, and you're hoping that getting a semblance of order down will help with it. You'd probably know this, but the best way to rid yourself of hostile tribes isn't violence or subjugation. That breeds resentment. Is there anything these other Mazoku are willing to bargain for? Offering to unite them with their other kin is nice, but the outcasts will seldom accept an olive branch after generations of separation."

Her offer caught his interest! "Doubtful I'd stay here as a permanent gig, but if these big plans of your need protection short term, I'm game."

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