[M][Namek] The Tempest

[Kaden]

Of all the other people to be on the Myreen, it would be people Kaden knew. Someday he would stop being surprised at the twists the universe had to throw his way. That day, however, didn’t look like it was coming any time soon. Leading the assault on the Myreen had been none other than Juno and Vad. While Kaden couldn’t quite put his relationship with Juno into appropriate terms, Vad definitely seemed like the right person for the job. If anything was going to take down the ship, it was going to be a psychotic, murderous, bloodthirsty saiyan.

The plan Loch suggested definitely seemed like a solid one. Though Kaden probably wouldn’t say it out loud, he didn’t see a problem with bringing the ship down over Ja City. The spaceport had been held, not only to keep reinforcements coming in, but also to evacuate the civilians. The destruction of an empty city seemed like a relatively small price to pay for stopping an invasion. He didn’t condone the destruction of a city as an individual act, but comparing that to the damage further alien assault would cause… an easy choice which he would take.

According to their self-appointed guide, the engine room shouldn’t have been too far off. The courier, preferring to err on the side caution while aboard an alien vessel, advised that they not move at full-tilt so he might be able to spot any attackers or ambushes before they occurred. To his great discomfort, there were no such things laying in wait for them. In fact, they only had the one encounter. Every step they took without someone threatening their life made Kaden more suspicious of their surroundings.

“Any idea why we haven’t seen anyone?” the courier asked Sophia, motioning to the device in her ear.

“Not really. They’ve been talking about dealing with other people on the ship and someone’s making some noise on the ground, but other than that…” her voice trailed off, a shrug of her shoulders ending the statement for her.

Before he had the chance to get lost in his thoughts once more, Loch announced that they had arrived at their destination. The proclamation was made with a sweeping gesture towards a set of large, metal, double doors. Set in the wall above the doors was a sign in the alien language, unreadable by any present, but it was blinking red, a clear enough warning regardless what language it was in.

“A moment of truth,” Loch said as she moved towards the door. A hand on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks.

Kaden’s glowing eyes swept across the door. A mixture of concentration and annoyance was written across his face as his eyes darted about, looking in vain for something. When a frustrated growl escaped his throat, Sophia spoke up.

“What’s the matter?”

“I… can’t see anything.”

“It… it’s a door,” Loch reminded him, eyeing the courier as she might any other idiot.

“Uhhh…” Kaden ran his hands through his hair as he searched for an explanation. She had referred to him as a wizard once already; it made sense to simply roll with it. “I can see people through doors and walls and stuff. It’s like… an enchantment… on my eyes.”

“Ahh. A useful spell for endeavors such as these.” Loch’s eyes darted to his own, not to meet his gaze, but to inspect the light that illuminated from them. “And you say your spell fails you?”

“Basically.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Sophia commented, her eyes darting from the door to Kaden and back.

“If that’s the case, then I see only one option,” Loch said, nodding to her comrades and approaching the door once more.

It was as Kaden watched her open the door that something clicked in his mind. As the girl stepped past him, he noticed that her body obscured his vision of the ki flowing through the walls and floor of the ship around her. He knew that her own ki was invisible to his sixth sense, but never noticed that he could no more see ki through her than he would be able to see anything else through a living being. His eyes darted back to the door as Loch approached, and fear struck him as he considered what was most likely laying in wait behind it.

As the door slid open, the courier’s fears were realized. A line of alien soldiers were prepared to greet them. Kaden winced as they came into view, his Sight suddenly overwhelmed as though the door had opened to reveal the sun itself. Loch, Sophia, and Kaden all turned to run as the aliens, in unison, raised their arms and unleashed a barrage of explosive energy.