Shana vs Cherri (Ref: Broly)

"Wake up! What are you, a dormouse?" Blackfire's voice pierced Shana's subconscious, forcing Shana to stir. After a few seconds, she woke. Still, the host of fire was reluctant to open her eyes. Still tired from her bout with Vengeance, the human wanted nothing but to curl up into a comfortable bed. "Get up!" Blackfire sounded more forceful this time, jabbing the girl's ribs with her boot.

"I'm up..." Shana grumbled, sitting up from the uncomfortable mat of straw and moss that had served as her 'bed' for the night. Her father had often tried to get her to go camping... but if sleeping out in the wilderness was this uncomfortable, Shana was glad she had said no! The morning light filtered through the boughs of the leafy canopy overhead, sending glittering shards of light to the forest floor. The leaves dappled there, seemingly dancing in an illusion from the morning sun.

Tork'thal was already up; his massive body was huddled over a fire nearby. In his hands, he slowly rotated some reptilian creature he had likely hunted down. Je'sheln seemed to have just woken; her hair was splayed in different directions, giving the host of water an unruly look. Her green eyes were dull with sleep and she yawned loudly, propping her back against a nearby tree trunk. Omega was also nearby, staring out wordlessly through a break in the trees that oversaw Frieza-sei's capitol.

"About time," Blackfire growled. "I let you sleep in a bit, but we need to get moving!"

Tork'thal looked over with a sympathetic look in his beady eyes. "Go easy on her," he told Blackfire. "She had a rough day yesterday." That was an understatement! Shana still cowered at the memory of Vengeance's attack. The behemoth of a Voracious Eater had found an opening when Shana had wandered a bit off from Tork'thal's watchful vigil and tried to kill her instantaneously. If it hadn't been for Okibi suddenly possessing her body, the child had no doubts about the outcome.

She would have died, for sure.

Footsteps resounded on the leafy floor as Omega approached, interrupting Blackfire before she could respond to Tork'thal. "The Fang of the Ancients is supposedly locked up deep under the Ice-jin's capitol. We just need to find an entrance to the catacombs where it's held," he announced, crossing his arms. A thoughtful look crossed his face. "But if Blackfire is right, Vengeance isn't dead. So there's still the threat of running into that bastard again. I think we should stick closer together if he shows up again." He glanced at Shana briefly. "I don't want a repeat of yesterday."

"Shana won't be a part of this mission, actually," Tork'thal spoke, getting up from his huddle over the fire. In his hand, he held the reptilian creature he had been cooking. Shana wrinkled her nose as he took a massive bite from it. He chewed thoughtfully before continuing. "Alexstrasza has a special mission for her, in fact."

"A... special mission?" Shana asked, her eyes widening in confusion. "Am I in trouble?"

"Of course not," Tork'thal reassured her. "But while we're on this planet, we have a multitude of objectives to complete. There's something going down on Earth right now too. With all of the Vessels here, Alexstrasza simply wants to speed the process along a bit. Once we're done here, we have to head back to Earth."

His words caused a feeling of dread to crawl down Shana's spine. "Wait!" she cried out, "What's going on?" Tork'thal gave Shana a long and measured look, seemingly unsure of what to say. Je'sheln was the one who answered.

"It's nothing to critical," she spoke, sighing. "But it could escalate if left unchecked. Alexstrasza would rather put this fire out before it becomes an inferno. It's nothing for you to concern yourself over..." Her words, while comforting, also held something sinister. Shana had the acute feeling that Je'sheln... no, even Tork'thal... were being very careful with what they said. Something was amiss. But it seemed to be a secret for now.

"Now then!" Je'sheln's voice became forcefully chipper as she crossed the forest clearing to stop in front of Shana. "Are you ready to go back to Eden's Realm?"

Shana glanced at Blackfire, but the Saiyan said nothing. Instead, she simply nodded at the human in a reassuring matter. It gave Shana a small glimmer of hope and she turned back to the host of water. "Sure," she answered, "I'm ready."

---

In an instant, Shana was gone. It took the child a moment to realize that she had been transported to Eden's Realm. In fact, the sudden warp was enough to cause the host of fire to lose her balance; she fell on the tile floor ungracefully.

"Owww..." Shana groaned, getting up and rubbing her sore behind.

"Welcome, Shana." The girl looked up suddenly to see that Alexstrasza was standing before her. The beautiful demigoddess smiled warmly at her. "How are you? I know you had quite the scare yesterday."

Shana glanced away. She didn't want to think about it. All she knew was that when Vengeance had charged at her, she had froze in fear. Okibi had to take her body over just to save her. How pathetic was that? Here she was, supposedly part of a group of gods and goddesses designed to protect the universe... and she couldn't even react in time to save herself. Once again, her training with Blackfire seemed to be worthless. Some Vessel she was!

Alexstrasza lay a gloved hand upon her shoulder. "Don't. Nobody blames you for that. You are only starting to train to be a Vessel. Don't chastise yourself so much!" Shana shied away, unsure if it was from the realization that Alexstrasza had just read her thoughts, or if it was because she didn't agree with what she had just said.

"Je'sheln said you have a mission for me?" Shana asked, desperately wanting to change the subject. An orange glow came from the corner of the room, catching Shana's eye. She turned her head to watch as Okibi emerged from the shadows. His form radiated with power; the very sight of him still caused goosebumps to form on her arms. There was no doubt about it: the god of fire was a powerful entity.

"That's correct," Alexstrasza answered as Okibi sat down next to his host. His form towered over here even when he was sitting. His muscles rippled beneath his pelt as he settled. "It's nothing dangerous, though. In fact, it has nothing to do with the Voracious Eaters whatsoever." Shana narrowed her brown eyes. To her, it seemed as if Alexstrasza were trying to remove her from the danger that presented itself with the Conclave's main objective. Another twinge of guilt sparked within her. If only she had been stronger! If only she could have acted!

"This has nothing to do with your bout with Vengeance," Okibi growled at her, laying his blazing orange gaze upon the human. "We're simply trying to speed things up. There's nothing to read between those lines."

"Okbi is right, Shana," Alexstrasza asserted. "I'm sending you on this mission because I feel you would be the best suited for it. You are human, after all. Your heart beats with compassion... where others may be lacking." Shana looked at Alexstrasza, puzzled. Was she referring to the other Vessels? To Shana, they were all seasoned warriors. Even Blackfire seemed hardened to hardships.

"Now then." Alexstrasza clapped her clawed gauntlets together. "I want you to locate someone for me on Frieza. She's a Pta’nan."

"A what?" Shana asked. Alexstrasza had said the race so smoothly, but Shana couldn't even hope to try and spell the name, much less try to pronounce it.

"Erm, a humanoid Xeno." Alexstrasza shook her head softly, chuckling. "I won't bore you with too many details as I've already briefed Okibi. Since he's your guardian, I suppose he'd be able to explain it to you far better than I could."

Okibi nodded. "I'll do my best," he answered.

"Wait a second!" Shana exclaimed, casting a baffled look to Okibi, then Alexstrasza. "That's all you're going to tell me? I'm going back to Frieza completely blind!"

"It's simple, really," Okibi rumbled, standing up onto four paws once more. The lion-like spawn of flames arched his back in a stretch before continuing. "Our job is to locate a girl named Y'lerl." Silently, Shana was thankful that it was name that she could actually hope to pronounce. "She's... in the wrong crowd, to say the least." Shana listened as Okibi launched into a lengthy explanation of Y'lerl's situation. He described the Planetary Trade Organization, a criminal-like military group that specialized in very bad things. Espionage, theft, assassinations... The list seemed almost endless.

But Okibi and Alexstrasza were adamant about one thing. This Y'lerl character was not a bad person. At least, the two deities didn't seem to think so. When Okibi described her situation, Shana had little evidence to contradict Okibi's theory. Y'lerl... just needed help, it seemed.

"She has a comrade that is ill," Alexstrasza explained, reaching in her pocket to produce a small vial of azure and luminescent liquid. "If you give this to her and explain that it will help her friend, she should have little reason to continue her employment to the PTO."

"That... sounds simple enough," Shana decided, frowning. But something didn't seem right to the human. Could this plan go through as smoothly as the goddess was making it out to sound?

"So, if that's all, I'll go ahead and send you back to Frieza," Alexstrasza said.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Okibi challenged Alexstrasza, flicking his ears. The goddess glanced at the god of fire, then suddenly recoiled slightly. Her amber eyes shone with a new light.

"Ah! Of course! How could I have forgotten? Shana, come with me for a moment, please." Without waiting for a response, she turned heel and left the room; the sound of her footsteps echoed loudly as she padded down a long corridor. With little choice otherwise, Shana had nothing to do but follow.

Word of Shana: 1693

---

Battle Tracker:

Spoiler:

The ward was silent, save the steady, separated pulse on the monitor. Each time the child's heart beat, the machine would let out a soft "beep!" Though Y'lerl would have normally found the sound annoying, it was comforting. It told her that Nana was still alive, still waiting for her, though he probably didn't know it himself. She imagined he was dreaming right now, hopefully of pleasant things, whatever a child of his species would find comforting.

"Visiting hours are almost up Miss Cherri."

Kabba, the only sane person at this hospital had once again come to accompany her. However, even he knew the rules. Visiting hours were strict, and she was almost afraid of what would happen if she stayed a little too long.

Before getting up, she stroked the child's cheek softly, then gave him a kiss on the nose. She almost thought she could see him smile as she pulled away, but knew it must have been her imagination. There was no way he could react while comatose.

Y'lerl stood up straight and adjusted her Scouter. It was only a matter of time before a mission would come in. She'd been waiting a solid three days now and "Arty" told her it would be within a week. She felt almost lucky that robot wasn't talking to her, but she knew it saw what she did on the other end of the Scouter, watching her every movement. It reminded her of her father in some ways.

"Cherri, are you sure about working for the Planet Trade Organization?" Kabba asked. "I mean, the work will probably pay well after you get a few assignments, but I don't want you getting yourself killed over this kid."

"I'm not going to get myself killed," Y'lerl said defensively. "Besides, his life's on the line too."

"You know, I've treated patients from the PTO before -- some of them younger than you, coming back from their first mission. Not for injuries, but mental therapy. They've seen horrible things, Cherri, done worse things. I don't think anyone needs to go through something like that."

"I'll do what needs to be done, Kabba," Y'lerl replied. "If that happens to involve going to far off worlds to trade goods, places with hostile locals who will kill me on the spot, then I'll do it."

It took a moment for the intern to gather himself as she exited the room. Once she was around halfway down the hall, he quietly said, "Cherri, that's not what..." She didn't hear his whimper as she took the steps back down to the lobby.

"...The PTO does."

---

She was getting looks from all sorts of people now, almost as soon as she walked out of the hospital. It must have been the uniform, as it wasn't like this the previous week. As she paced down the streets, she could see a few of them almost seeming to hide their faces. Clearly her line of work didn't get a particularly good wrap.

She was spacing out, looking absently at one child with a frightened expression. He reminded her so much of Nana that it hurt just a little bit. It was then that a transmission came over the Scouter, causing her train of thought to crash.

"<Miss Cherri, your first assignment has come in.>" She could see the optical lens of the drone in the upper corner of the Scouter.

"Talk to me Arty," she responded.

"<Your mission will not be off planet; you are merely being sent to capture a few individuals, outsiders that the PTO has taken interest in. These are their profiles.>"

A set of images flashed across the screen, several of them of alien species that she was unfamiliar with. One of them, she noted, was likely a Saiyan, albeit with tamer hair than most. The one that caught her eye, however, seemed to only be a child. Perhaps looks were deceiving, though. They were apparently breaking the law, and she couldn't judge a book by its cover right now.

"<You must capture them, preferably alive. However, if they put up enough of a struggle, you are authorized to execute them. Do you understand?>"

She paused at that last line, her mouth agape. Execute a child. She had to struggle to take a breath in and answer. "I understand." She hoped it wouldn't have to come to that.

A life for a life... What would Nana think of her then?

---

Word Count: 742
Word Total: 742

---

Spoiler:

"W-wow!" The sharp exclamation from Shana was well warranted, all things considered. Alexstrasza had led the host of fire to a separate room in her temple-like mansion. And the only thing in it was a glass case. Inside the display, a suit of armor was displayed, well-lit in the otherwise dark room. Shana left Alexstrasza's side to take a closer look. It looked to be made out of leather, which made Shana question it's durability in combat. But something about it - seemed almost otherworldly.

"It's yours," Alexstrasza told her, padding up to the child's side.

Shana whipped her head around. "But I thought the mission was supposed to be simple?" she challenged. Okibi snorted in response, causing Shana to frown. Ever since the Vengeance incident, the god of fire had become increasingly distant from his host.

But Alexstrasza shook her head. "I wasn't the one who made this," she explained. "It was Je'sheln." Shana's mind flew back to picture the host of water. Yes... she could see it now - Je'sheln did wear something strikingly similar to this! "She studied the way you fought and designed the armor to asset you the most it can in battle," Alexstrasza continued, pacing restlessly behind Shana. "Well? Try it on!"

The human hardly needed a second invitation. Eagerly, she pressed the button on the side of the display case to free the articals of armor which she then put on. Surprisingly, the material was not only leather, but something else that the girl couldn't have even hoped to identify. Not only that, but it didn't hinder her movement at all; Shana could still move her arms and legs as if she were wearing no armor at all.

"This is great!" Shana breathed, patting on her chest a couple of times.

"Make sure you thank Je'sheln then," Alexstrasza instructed. "Now then, shall I send you to Frieza again? Or do you have more questions?"

"Shana lowered her arms and relaxed her body. By now, she was getting used to Alexstrasza's teleportation spell; still, it was rather uncomfortable to weather out if she stiffened up. Okibi had already vanished, leaving Shana alone with the powerful goddess before her.

"I'm ready," Shana nodded.

---

In a sudden rush of wind, Shana's feet landed back on solid ground. Alexstrasza had put her in the middle of a grassy plain. The sun still hadn't risen too far from the east; it was still morning. But where was she, exactly? When the child reached out with her senses; she couldn't detect any power sources anywhere near her! That was until a gargantuan power suddenly exploded to life beside her. Okibi emerged from her gateway amulet, shaking his body as if had just came out of water. The thought of that was enough to bring a small grin to Shana's face. She was no expert on gods of fire, but she had her doubts that Okibi would like swimming. Even if he did resemble a lion.

Okibi said nothing. Hell, he didn't even so much as glance at his host. That was enough to sadden Shana. Not too long ago, she could hardly get in a word while Okibi talked to her. But he seemed as distant and withdrawn as he had been when he had first emerged. Strangely enough, the god of fire didn't even attempt to cover up his titan-like power. Instead, he sat down, angled his ears ahead, and stared off into the distance. Shana watched him for a bit before daring to speak.

"Okibi, do you have any idea where-"

"Be quiet!" Okibi snapped at her, causing Shana to flinch away. "I'm concentrating!"

Concentrating on what? Shana wondered, but sealed her lips nonetheless. She wasn't about to embark on any quest without Okibi, so what the hell was he doing? Minutes trickled by. Okibi hardly moved from his vigil except to angle his ears in different directions every now and then, only to swivel them back to their original position. It was almost as if he was searching for... Wait!

"Okibi!" Shana blurted out, ignoring the lion-like spawn of flame's snarl of impatience. "Are you looking for-"

"Yes," the powerful deity growled. "Now be quiet!" His angry response cut into Shana like a cold knife. Sorrow crossed her gaze. What had happened? She used to be able to confide in the god of fire! And although Okibi had always had a sharp side to him, he had never been blatantly hostile towards her like this! She looked away, her eyes falling on a nearby rock that protruded from the ground. It was the only thing that looked semi-comfortable to sit upon in the otherwise empty plain, so she leaned up against it with a sorrowful sigh.

Okibi must have heard the sharp exhale of breath; he flicked an ear and glanced at his host for the first time, his eyes narrowed. Shana heard his paw steps as he crossed the plain, but didn't bother with looking up.

"Alright," he growled. "Now what's the matter?"

Shana glared at him. "You!" she exclaimed sharply. "I already apologized! I can't undo what I did! Why are you still angry with me?"

"I'm not angry with you," Okibi snarled. Shana snorted in disbelief. The god of fire could deny it all he wanted, but she could hear the bitterness dripping from his voice.

"You wanted me to act on my own and I didn't!" Shana said stubbornly, crossing her arms in defiance.

"And what makes you think that?" Okibi challenged, his deep voice rising slightly as anger sparked his voice.

"When Vengeance attacked me, you could have easily disengaged from Eden's Realm and intercepted him. But you didn't! You waited for the last possible moment before suddenly possessing me! I may be a kid, but I'm not dumb!"

Okibi seemed to have been taken aback from Shana's argument because he backed up slightly, his eyes widened. They narrowed shortly thereafter, and Shana could almost see cogs rotating in his head as if the feral deity were mulling something over. Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet.

"Yes, I was hoping you would have acted on your own," he admitted, sitting down. "But even if you had, you would have been killed nonetheless. Vengeance is simply too powerful for you. What chance would you stand when two Super Saiyans can't even harm him? I would have had to stepped in either way."

Silence stretched on for a bit. Shana was unsure of what to say. She had already apologized. What more could she do? But Okibi suddenly whipped his head around.

"Found her!" he barked, scrambling to his feet and shaking each on in turn to dislodge drops of dew.

"Where?" Shana asked, squinting off into the distance where Okibi had his muzzle pointed. But the answer came through her head; the god of fire had already vanished from the realm.

"Just fly the way where I pointed. I'll keep you informed if her position changes."


Word of Shana: 1168

---

Battle Tracker:

Spoiler:

The Scouter seemed to be on the fritz. It kept beeping and there was a crosshair in the upper right hand corner of the screen, but it seemed to be targeting nothing. The display read out a battle power estimated at 100,000 -- a rather impressive number -- but was pointing at little more than the thin air above a building.

"Arty, you there? I think this thing's bugged," Y'lerl called into her mouthpiece.

"<It is not "bugged" Miss Cherri,>" the A.I. quipped. "<It is tracking the location of one of your targets. One of them has just been picked up several kilometers outside of Frozen City. The exact battle power doesn't line up the records on file, but the energy signature indicates that it is likely the individual known as Shana.>"

"Shana."

Her mind flashed to the images she had been shown. Though she hadn't remembered to note it at the time, her people never forgot what they had seen. That name was attached to the picture of the youngest one. She doubted she was much older than Nana. Y'lerl swallowed hard as she tried to focus on the mission at hand.

"Okay, so ten kilos out of town..." she stopped for a moment to stare up at the sun. "Southwest."

"<Northeast, Miss Cherri. This planet rotates clockwise; therefore the sun rises in the west.>"

"So, should I catch a bus there?" Y'lerl said sarcastically.

"<Actually, the signal seems to be heading towards you, Miss Cherri; quite a fortunate turn of events. Might I suggest that you attempt to take her by surprise? It will minimize the damage done to her should you decide to take her alive.>"

"Take the kid... by surprise..." she muttered.

"<Is there something wrong with that?>"

"No, nothing's wrong with it," Y'lerl answered. "Nothing except the kid part..."

She surmised that the girl must have some way of tracking her, likely dependent on sensing her ki signature. Eliminating that variable would leave her confused, and hopefully lure her within striking distance. However, she was still quite close to the hospital -- close enough that she knew she'd feel uncomfortable if she had to fight around it. The obvious solution would be to get out of town, and quickly. At the speed that Shana was going, her Scouter indicated that her estimate time of arrival would be in only a minute. A white, crackling aura enveloped her body and she took to the skies, inciting quite a reaction from the citizens surrounding her.

"<If you are leaving town, I must inform you that there is a plain 1.2 kilometers from your current location. Energy scans indicate no sentient lifeforms in the vicinity." RT almost seemed to be able to read her mind.

"Thanks," she said to the drone. A streak of energy flowed behind her as she headed off for the plain.

---

The area was just as Arty had said -- deserted. In fact, it was only a step away from being a desert. It looked like that as far as the eye could see. Y'lerl surmised that the planet must have been terraformed rather recently. Most living worlds would have more bio signs than this one. She couldn't even sense any vertebrates in the area. Her Scouter certainly wouldn't be able to detect anything, as it was only programmed to pick up on higher ki signatures.

Thinking of ki signatures, she was reminded that there was still a plan that needed to be put into action. Immediately, she suppressed her ki as far as she could make it and darted behind the nearest rock she could spot. It wasn't the best shelter, but it was somewhat larger than her and a hook on the side of it would help keep her from being spotted from the air. She crouched down below it and wiped her brow. It was starting to get hot.

---

Word Count: 648
Word Total: 1390

Spoiler:

Okibi was mostly silent while Shana flew in the direction that he had previously guided her towards. He only spoke to her when necessary, telling her to alter her path slightly at different points. But just as Shana started to sense a ki signature that she assumed had been the target whom Okibi had locked onto, it vanished. Shana halted in confusion. She was still above the plain, so spotting a suppressed target shouldn't have been too hard, right?

Why are you stopping? Okibi sounded irritable. Shana didn't answer right away; the human was too busy surveying the plain before her.

"Was that her?" Shana queried.

Yes...

Shana reached up and scratched at her head in confusion. "Well, I lost her..."

Okibi let out a growl. I wasn't tracking her by her energy, he explained to his baffled host. I was tracking her by her aura.

"I-Isn't that the same thing?" Shana asked, glancing down at the gateway clasped around her neck. It's luminescence strengthened slightly as if Okibi were growing even more irritable.

No! I was able to smell her aura, not sense it! And the scent is still there! Just look for anything she could hide behind! It's a plain, for fuck's sake! Shana flinched. Okibi had never cursed at her before! Why was the god of fire being so hostile? Shana felt her heart sink. Whatever had ruined her previous relationship with Okibi... she wish it had never happened. Even so, what Okibi had said made sense. (Even if he could have been more gentle with how he worded it) Shana looked around the plain carefully. It was pretty desolate aside from a rock protruding from the ground here and there. There certainly wasn't many places that Y'lerl could hide.

Now you're using your head, Okibi said dryly. Just blast her out!

Shana narrowed her eyes. Why would Okibi even say something like that? She was supposed to talk to Y'lerl, not fight her! Perhaps the god of fire knew something she didn't. But Shana hardly felt like arguing with the deity. Instead, she simply landed.

"Y'lerl?" she called out loudly. "Are you here?" Okibi sighed, but Shana ignored him. She scanned the area around her, waiting for movement. "I need to talk to you!" she offered after nothing stirred.

Word of Shana: 384

---

Battle Tracker:

Spoiler:

She could sense it. Shana had landed on the plain. They were perhaps little more than a dozen meters away. She could hear the child, talking to herself, but Y'lerl couldn't sense anyone else. Perhaps she was so young that she had an imaginary friend. She cringed at that thought.

She had to think on her toes now. It would only be a matter of seconds before that girl found her. She thought back for an instant to the images she had seen on the Scouter. Perhaps one of them was her companion.

Y'lerl chose the image of the other that had stood out strongly to her, the Saiyan (she assumed it had been a Saiyan anyway; it was difficult to tell by the hairstyle) named Blackfire. Saiyans, she knew, were usually garbed in the same Flexweave-style armor that she was wearing right now, albeit Blackfire wasn't wearing it in the image she was shown.

The image was strong in her mind. She concentrated on it, molding her form to fit the image. Every molecule, each atom in her body obeyed her mental command and began restructuring itself, taking on the shape of the Saiyan warrior. She took off the Scouter for a moment to see her reflection in it -- a perfect match. Something else, however -- her voice, her ki -- could still give it away. She needed to keep her ki suppressed and avoid speaking. It was the only way to fool this kid long enough. She only needed a moment to get the jump on her.

Y'lerl placed the Scouter behind the rock. The Saiyan was never shown wearing it and she felt confident that Arty wouldn't mind if she was away for just a little while. The kid was strong, yes, but assumed this wouldn't take too long.

Just before she was about to step out from the rock, she heard the child speak again.

"Y'lerl? Are you here?"

The words struck her harder than any physical blow could have. How was it even possible for anyone, much less this girl, to know her name? She had never spoken it aloud in this universe. This was no normal child. A demon, a demigod perhaps, but not a kid. Perhaps even a Pta'nan. Her father could have sent someone in the guise of a human child to take her home, where she belonged. But her business here wasn't done. Not by a long shot.

"I need to talk to you!" the child shouted. At that moment, Y'lerl poked out from behind the rock and stood to her full height -- as Blackfire. She waved a hand, signalling for her in as friendly a manner as possible. Words, she hoped, would not be needed.

---

Word Count: 457
Word Total: 1,847

---

Spoiler:

It wasn't too long after Shana called out to her target that someone emerged from behind a nearby rock. Shana's eyes widened in surprise. Something wasn't right. That wasn't Y'lerl at all!

"B-Blackfire?" Shana stammered, her voice shrill with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Hang on... Okibi started, but Shana swept on extending her hands to both sides and stepping forward eagerly.

"Did you find the Fang of Ancients already?" she queried, tipping her head to the side. Excitement bubbled up from within the human as she continued her banter, not even giving Blackfire a chance to respond. "What does it look like? What does it do? Can I see it?"

Shana.... Okibi tried intervening once more, but to little success; Shana was very good at tuning the god of fire out when she wanted to. A small gust of wind picked up, sweeping across the plain like a giant broom. The grass parted and swayed, forcing bugs to lift off from their perches.

"Did you know about the mission Alexstrasza sent me on?" Shana continued critically, crossing her arms in annoyance. "Why didn't you tell me about it sooner?"

SHANA! Okibi's roar came out loud and clear, searing through Shana's mind and causing her to jump.

"W-what?" she asked, glaring down at the gateway once more. The red gem within the necklace was glowing so fiercely, that Shana thought Okibi was about to leap out of it.

That's not Komand'r, you idiot! Normally, Shana would have sullenly narrowed her eyes at the harsh growl, but she was too swept away in her own thoughts to really care about Okibi's hostility anymore.

"What are you talking about?" Shana asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Of course that's Blackfire!" Shana glanced up to look at the Saiyan host of lightning. Black hair tied behind in a ponytail, amethyst eyes, sword strapped to her back...

Get back! Okibi's roar was urgent. This time, Shana decided to heed his warning and prepared to leap backwards.

Word of Shana: 333

---

Battle Tracker:

Spoiler:

All was going well -- Shana didn't seem to suspect a thing. Perhaps she was wrong about her first impressions. Only a child, she thought, would be so easily fooled. One of her own people would obviously know of her ability to shapeshift... unless she was getting so good she could fool her own kind.

Now that she had gotten a closer look at the kid, she was able to see a full-body image. Before, she had seen little more than a head shot. She was wearing a strange suit, something that no child should be seen wearing. It was dark, tough fabric, something that primitive warriors might have rode into battle with. There was little else of note beyond a red gem that hung loosely around her neck.

But above her neck was a face so soft that angels would be jealous of it. It was a face of purity, something that she had seen in scarce few creatures. And in the child's eyes, she could see Nana.

She blinked hard to get the image out of her head.

The little girl was crying out to her now as she approached, something about a Fang of the Ancients and someone called Alexstrasza. How easily she blurted out information; she was like a fountain of words without an off switch.

But suddenly, something changed. She stared down at the red gem around her neck. She was talking to it now, as if there were someone there. It almost looked like the gem that she carried around under her armor, a gem meant to keep her in contact with her father. Immediately, she became suspicious as Shana barked back at the gem.

"What are you talking about? Of course that's Blackfire!" she snapped. Then suddenly, there was a look of icy fear on her face.

It was now or never.

Y'lerl was first to lash out, releasing her suppressed ki and flinging an her arms forward. Though it should have struck thin air, instead, a two small wormholes opened in front of her, just large enough for each of her hands to pass through. Behind Shana, one other end opened up and tried to grab the back of her neck while the other popped up by her feet, attempting to latch on to her ankle.

As Y'lerl neared, the wormholes moved in harmony with her. When she was little more than a foot away, she decided it was time for some good old fashioned interrogation -- sans the waterboarding of course.

Her disguise broke and her form returned to its previous one, her representation as a Tarnajin. Her red eyes gleamed like hot coals as she spoke. "Tell me what the fuck you are -- now. What has Rora-gan put you up to!?"

---

Word Count: 462
Word Total: 2,309

---

Spoiler:

Before Shana could do much of anything much less make sense of the situation at hand, Blackfire's look alike leaped forward. Pretty much caught off guard, Shana didn't do much to prevent the awkward situation of being dangled in the air for a split second, only to be grabbed by her ankle with another hand. Instinctively, Shana tensed her back, helping levitate most of the pressure that her attacker was trying to put on her.

"Tell me what the fuck you are -- now. What has Rora-gan put you up to!?" The voice was coming from below her. Shana was still trying to make sense on how exactly she was suspended up in the air. The arms gripping her seemed to be coming from portals of some sorts. Craning her neck uncomfortably to the side, her hair dislodged from its previous position to fall down in an unruly manner. Then again, Shana didn't care for brushing her hair, so it was unruly most of the time regardless.

The person (a very light term to describe the humanoid keeping her up) had green skin that reminded Shana of a race that Blackfire had called a Namekian. But the rest of her body didn't match the description at all. But as her mind flashed back to the image Alexstrasza had shown her, Shana knew instantly.

This was Y'lerl!

Okibi was growing increasingly angry. Shana sensed that if she didn't do something soon, the god of fire would leap out and deal with the alien himself. And that wasn't something Shana wanted. There was no doubt about it: with the poor mood he was in, the deity would tear a strip in Y'lerl and likely kill her.

Swiftly, Shana tested the strength of the grip on her and was pleased to find that she could break free if need be. But she didn't want to alarm Y'lerl any more than she had already did so she continued to put just enough pressure on the alien's grip to keep herself from being hurt. Still, the position was uncomfortable as hell!

"I don't know who Rora-gan is," Shana started, trying desperately to find the correct words to sooth the hostile girl who was gripping her. "Just listen to me! I know about your friend! I can help you, but only if you help yourself! The organization you work for - The Planetary Trade Organization - they're evil! Can't you see that? You need to leave them!"

Perhaps it was a bad start to try and explain herself, but Shana was no prodigy at speaking. She prefered to keep quiet, usually. Still, at the very least, she hoped that the words would be enough to intrigue Y'lerl enough to put her down. Then again, things often worked out in different ways than one would hope.



Word of Shana: 468

---

Battle Tracker:

Spoiler:

Y'lerl could feel the child struggling just a bit between her fingers and palms. She was every bit as strong as that battle power of 100,000 had indicated. She couldn't hold the child long.

"I don't know who Rora-gan is," the child replied. Her voice had a slight meekness to it now, but at the same time, strength. "Just listen to me!" she pleaded. "I know about your friend! I can help you, but only if you help yourself! The organization you work for - The Planetary Trade Organization - they're evil! Can't you see that? You need to leave them!"

She snorted at the comment. "They're evil are they? Tell me, then, what do you know of evil? What could you know of evil?" Y'lerl decided to relax her grip. It appeared to her that Shana wouldn't put up much of a fight if they were talking. She had a strong sense of morality, of nobility, and likely wouldn't try anything so "cheap".

"Evil is a word that men use to accuse others and justify themselves. If I don't work for the Planet Trade Organization, a child dies. If I do, then others die in his stead. By not acting, am I not doing evil myself? If evil indeed exists, then evil is within us all.

"But still, you seem to know things that you shouldn't," she continued. "Tell me, if you don't know of my father, how do you know my name? What could you know of my situation, my "friend"? Why should I believe a word you say?"

Y'lerl took a deep breath in after she had finished her speech, then relaxed her grip, pulling her arms back through the miniature wormholes. She relaxed her posture, stopped to wipe a bead of sweat from her face, and awaited a reply.

---

Word Count: 303
Word Total: 2612

---

Spoiler:

It seemed that Y'lerl was finally ready to listen. Shana was released, and the girl flipped away from her awkward position and landed on the ground, both feet firmly planted in the ground. She paused only to tuck away a lock of hair that had fallen into her face before sighing. It didn't take a genius to know that she was hardly out of the fire yet. The woman's red eyes were like twin daggers, piercing into Shana as she spoke.

They're evil are they? Tell me, then, what do you know of evil? What could you know of evil? Evil is a word that men use to accuse others and justify themselves. If I don't work for the Planet Trade Organization, a child dies. If I do, then others die in his stead. By not acting, am I not doing evil myself? If evil indeed exists, then evil is within us all. But still, you seem to know things that you shouldn't; tell me, if you don't know of my father, how do you know my name? What could you know of my situation, my "friend"? Why should I believe a word you say?"

Shana narrowed her eyes. Rora-gan was her father? The human wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. "I know a lot more about evil than you realize," Shana said sadly, her memories flashing back to the Voracious Eaters that were tearing through the galaxy like a plague. Okibi's growls of anger did not cease to stop.

Enough of this! You can't be so meek with this kind of shit! The god of fire was livid. Despite Shana's growing concern with the lion-like deity's growing aggression, she had to admit that he was right to a certain point. Blackfire wouldn't have put up with this!

"You can't tell me that the PTO hasn't asked you to do something that you know was wrong," Shana said, narrowing her eyes. "I mean, just look at their name! They kill off entire civilizations just so they can resell the planet to a buyer!" Shana paused. She didn't exactly have proof of that, just the stories that Blackfire had told her. The PTO and Saiyan Empire worked together in a sickening alliance. The Saiyans would wipe the planet out for the PTO, and in turn, the Changelings would sell the planet and give the Saiyans a cut of the profit.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you how I know about your predicament and your friend. But I do know this: I can help you out under the condition that you trust me enough to separate your affairs from the PTO. I can help your friend out. But either way, I can't allow you to keep doing what you are doing..."

There was a small threat in Shana's words, and it seemed to be enough to quiet Okibi up. Shana only hoped it didn't set Y'lerl off.

Word of Shana: 494

---

Battle Tracker:

Spoiler:

The young girl looked up at Y'lerl with wide eyes. She remembered that face. It was the same one that Nana had given her on the ship, when she was just about to leave him -- but she couldn't. She could feel a knot in her stomach and she struggled not to swallow hard, not to let her feelings show. Emissaries were actors above all else, and she had been letting her performance slip for days.

"I know a lot more about evil than you realize," she said, her voice trailing off. That was when Y'lerl swallowed. She could see pain in the child's face, probably as she reminisced about her past. She wondered what it was that haunted her, what could put such a bright, cheerful individual into the doldrums. She wondered if it were anything like what had happened to Nana, taken so forcibly from his home to suffer for weeks on end, to the point where death had become little more than a fact of life, an inevitable fate that all men must face -- and in that case, boys.

For a moment, Y'lerl could swear that she saw something amiss in Shana's eyes. They were out of focus, even though the child was clearly having a flashback. It was like she was paying attention to something, but something she couldn't see. Maybe it was that imaginary friend she was talking to earlier. Maybe it was trying to comfort her. She'd heard it was a very common phenomenon among many young species in this universe.

Then suddenly, her head shifted up and her brow scrunched up. It looked like she was trying to be angry, but it was difficult to take seriously due to her lack of a serious demeanor. "You can't tell me that the PTO hasn't asked you to do something that you know was wrong," she barked. "I mean, just look at their name! They kill off entire civilizations just so they can resell the planet to a buyer!"

Y'lerl stared at her at that sentence. It was something she wasn't aware of before now. She had assumed the organization was some sort of interstellar trading service that hired mercenaries to help make forceful deals with hostile planets. She had never once considered that they were a company bent on genocide.

Her mind wandered off, back to the planet Tarnav where she had been taken captive only weeks ago. She remembered the faces of the soldiers, and the uniforms they wore. She glanced down at her own to see the same style, and the same insignia, she realized sat under a nearby rock. In trying to save Nana, she had become the essence of his nightmares. Her expression reflected her thoughts as clearly as a mirror, but she did not say a word.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you how I know about your predicament and your friend," the child's voice interrupted her train of thought. "But I do know this: I can help you out under the condition that you trust me enough to separate your affairs from the PTO. I can help your friend out. But either way, I can't allow you to keep doing what you are doing..."

"I... I can't allow myself to keep doing what I'm doing." Tears began to roll down her cheeks, tears without sobs to accompany them. "I don't trust you, but I can't live like this. I can't... can't..." Her voice began to trail off, degrading into little more than a repeated murmur. She reached out and clasped a hand on the child's shoulder.

"Help me."

---

Word Count: 602
Word Total: 3214

---

Spoiler:

To Shana's surprise, her words seemed to have effected the woman before her more than she could ever have hoped. It was rather shocking to see her hostility melt away like the morning's mist touched by the rising sun. Okibi seemed to be put off as well. The deity, ready to leap out in battle only moments ago seemed as docile as a newborn kitten. Shana hoped that the god of fire would understand what Shana saw. Not all battles had to be fought with fists.

"I... I can't allow myself to keep doing what I'm doing." Y'lerl's voice was scarcely a whisper. If so much as a breeze would have swept across the plain, Shana knew that her words would have been lost. But an eerie silence had gripped the greenery. It was as if the planet itself was calming itself in response to the threat of battle vanishing. Shana watched as teardrops fell from the woman's eyes, splattering on the grass below. The grass would appreciate the water, sure... But whatever pain Y'lerl was going through. Was it even worth it?

"I don't trust you, but I can't live like this. I can't... can't..." The woman trailed off, placing a hand on Shana's shoulder. Although the host of fire was surprised at the touch, she didn't squirm away. "Help me..."

"I can help you," Shana repeated herself yet again. "That's why I was sent here! Just... take me to him," Shana said deciding on what to do next. "Once you see that I can heal him, you'd have no reason to be enlisted in the PTO, would you?"

Word of Shana: 270

---

Battle Tracker:

Spoiler:

Author's Note: At the end of this post, I did indeed control Shana's character. However, he has given me express permission to do this temporarily to help move the post along, and Broly has okayed it.

---

"I can help you." The girl's words were calm and sincere. Y'lerl wondered if the child knew she was an angel in human flesh. "That's why I was sent here! Just... take me to him. Once you see that I can heal him, you'd have no reason to be enlisted in the PTO, would you?"

"No. No I wouldn't..." she weakly replied. Y'lerl wiped the tears from her cheeks, spending several minutes pulling herself together, all the time looking at the girl. She wished that, if only for a moment, she could have some of her purity, but knew she was doomed to stay her hand.

Then, suddenly, there was a pulsing buzz that found its way through the plain. It was high-pitched, perhaps too much so for Shana's ears to hear. She turned her head slowly in the direction of the sound, seeing the rock from earlier. The Scouter! I it was probably someone on the other end trying to contact her. But dare she take that call? It was a morbid curiosity that drove her, but she had a wrenched feeling in her gut that grew tighter with each hum.

"I... excuse me," Y'lerl said, wiping her tears for one last time. She'd have to pull herself together if she were to talk "business" with anyone. Solemnly, she walked over to the rock and reached around, grabbing the Scouter off the ground and reattaching it to her face.

In the upper corner of the display, she saw a Changeling -- the officer from the other day. He was standing over Nana's bed.

He heart stopped cold.

After she recovered from that skipped beat, she looked at him with fear, though knew there was no camera on the Scouter he could look back through.

"I heard your conversation. And before you ask, yes, the whole thing. It was an unwise decision to take your Scouter off, "Cherri". Your identity is a sham -- everything about you is probably a sham and that makes me very displeased with you. Well, everything but this kid." He had a sick grin on his face as he leaned in over the unconscious child.

"You are not leaving the PTO. You are not abandoning this mission. If you have any problems with it, I'm pulling the plug on the life support system over here. He won't wake up. Ever." He looked firmly at the camera now with an ineffectual stare. The pupils of his eyes were as dark as his soul.

"Now that you have that kid wrapped around your finger, you have a golden opportunity. Your original mission has changed. While her guard is down, kill her. I will not permit her to leave that wasteland alive. Is that understood?"

Y'lerl swallowed hard as beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. "Yes... sir," she answered. It was painful just to get those words out.

"Good. Now don't fail me. If this mission isn't completed, you're going with him." With those words, the transmission ended and the tiny display flickered out. She shuddered, then gathered herself together. By this point, she was all out of tears to cry, but wished she could. She collapsed to her knees and covered her face with her hands, afraid -- and at the same time, knowing -- that Shana would come running after her.

She could sense the child coming up behind her and she straightened up, getting back on her feet. Shana seemed distinctly concerned about what had just happened and was about to put a hand on her shoulder when Y'lerl turned around.

She splayed one palm out as if she were about to pat her on the head, but then moved it directly into her face. She choked up for a second before uttering a quiet, "I'm sorry."

Lightning-like ki surged forward from her palm in a crackling burst. If there was indeed evil in this world, she felt she had just committed it.

---

Word Count: 659
Word Total: 3,894

---

Spoiler:

Things had certainly taken a turn for the worse. Distinctively aware that something had just gone wrong, Shana was met with the sight of Y'lerl's extended and open palm. "Wha-"

Move! Okibi's roar startled Shana; the child hadn't heard him interfere with her thoughts quite like that before. But the urgency in his voice was hard to ignore. Shana could sense a sudden build up of energy within Y'lerl's body, but was too shocked to do anything but stare.

"I'm sorry..." Shana barely had time to register the sorrow in the woman's words before a powerful blast of electricity shook her entire body. Shana let out a startled yowl and stumbled back as she felt her muscles tighten from the powerful current. The young host of fire had felt the bite of electricity many times in her various spars with Blackfire; but while the attack she had just taken was similar to the Saiyan's in many ways, Shana instantly knew there were some contrasts as well.

First, it didn't hold the same punch. There was no doubt that Blackfire was more powerful than the woman who had just assaulted her. But the attack itself wasn't electricity at all! Sure, it held many of the same properties; yet it also could be wielded. This was something Shana knew nothing about, of course. But Okibi did. Two things happened in very short order. Shana's gateway began to glow fiercely, making Shana wince. If Okibi emerged from Eden's Realm, there was little she could do to thwart the powerful deity's wrath. He would pounce upon Y'lerl like a helpless piece of prey The second thing was even more noticeable: the current of energy once wreathing around Shana's body dissipated immediately, and was funneled into her gateway like a drain. The pain vanished as well, leaving Shana very confused as what just happened.

However, there was one thing she knew for sure. Y'lerl had suddenly turned upon her for reasons she would not hope to understand.

"Why-" she began to choke out, stumbling backwards. Alexstrasza's voice came to the child's mind, causing Shana to glance at her gateway once more.

She's being bribed, Alexstrasza said, her voice flat. The goddess seemed to muse over the situation briefly before continuing. I've already alerted Blackfire to it. Shana's heart sunk even further than before when she thought Okibi was interfering. No, she's not coming to you. Both her and I think that the PTO somehow know about our little operation here. I don't know how they've been alerted, but we have to act swiftly. Until Blackfire can sort it out, hold her off.

"I don't want to hurt her, then!" Shana exclaimed, blissfully unaware that Y'lerl might not have a clue about who she was talking to.

You may have to. Alexstrasza's voice was firm, yet grim at the same time. If she is forcing a battle on you, you'll have little choice. You are part of the Conclave. You'll have to learn what it means to fight on your own now.

Shana felt a twinge of fear shoot through her body. She had known this day would come eventually, yet the host of fire was still not prepared for taking such a huge step. It was true: Blackfire had spent countless hours - no, days - teaching her how to fight and defend herself properly from enemy attacks. But she was still a kid! The memories of going to middle school and hanging out with her friends was still fresh on her mind!

I know how you feel, Alexstrasza told her gently as if she could read the girl's thoughts. But all of us can only lead you to the door. You're the one who has to open it. I have faith in you. It's why I sent you on this mission.

Shana looked up at Y'lerl, uncertainty in her deep brown eyes. Every fiber of her being shrieked in protest at the thought of fighting the Xeno. Especially if the whole thing was being forced upon Y'lerl. But Alexstrasza had a point. Perhaps it was time to ball her fists. Still, one question left her lips before she charged forward to aim a powerful hit towards Y'lerl's jaw, aiming to send her flying.

"Why!? Why are you doing this? I only want to help you!"

Word of Shana: 734

---

Battle Tracker:

Spoiler:

Just before the attack was launched, Y'lerl thought she could hear a quiet yelp from the youth. As bolts of lightning-like ki lashed out at Shana, enveloping her in crackling white energy. Yet, she did not cry out in pain, or even seem discomforted. There was something more at work here and she wasn't going to wait to find out what it was.

She raised a hand, poised to strike, but heard Shana mumbling something. Then there was a shout of, "I don't want to hurt her then!" She was talking to herself again, Y'lerl assumed. Or perhaps, just perhaps, there were forces at work here beyond her understanding. She took a deep breath and stared blankly, attempting to learn.

The girl's expression changed, rotating quickly from fear to uncertainty, then to a look of partial confidence. Suddenly, almost without any warning, Shana lashed out and gave Y'lerl a swift uppercut to the jaw. The force behind the blow was far more than she had expected, enough to send her flying several meters into the air. Instead of immediately stopping herself, however, she took the momentum from it and redirected it, accelerating partially under her own power to the degree that she seemed to vanish into thin air.

Realizing that her opponent would almost certainly detect her, ruining the chance of attacking, she kept her ki low as she silently reappeared behind Shana. Her arms began to change shape, taking on the form of a dense, metallic substance in mid strike -- a swift chop to the back of the neck. She aimed the attack at a stringy tendon she could just barely see bulging from the child's neck, holding her breath as she went in for the kill.

---

Word Count: 289
Word Total: 4,183

---

Spoiler:

Her question was never answered. Shana's senses dulled to the point to where she hardly felt her own fist crash into Y'lerl's face. It was breaking Shana's heart! Why was Y'lerl doing this? She simply couldn't wrap her mind around it. As the woman recovered from Shana's viscous attack, Shana readied herself for any counterattack. It didn't take long for her foe to lower her energy and vanish from sight. Thankfully, Blackfire had drilled her carefully for these moments. After all, there was only two blind spots that an opponent could try to abuse. Above and/or behind.

Immediately, Shana whipped her head around in time to see the green-skinned woman striking out to where the back of her neck would have been. Gritting her teeth, Shana pivoted on a single foot, turning around fully to divert the incoming attack. A precise block was given, and Shana knocked Y'lerl's arm away with her own forearm, hopefully to leave Shana's foe unguarded. It was then when Shana's arms started to fly. They moved so swiftly, it appeared that she had sprouted additional limbs!

Leaping forward with a roar that was not her own, (Okibi was quite pissed at this point) Shana launched attack after attack onto her foe's form. Although they almost seemed to be not aimed - well, they were aimed perfectly. And the destructive power behind each of the six hits held enough power to shatter an entire mountain.

Word of Shana: 240

---

Battle Tracker:

Spoiler:

Since Shana left the site, Cherri wins by default.