Ever since the Shroomy's Invitational tournament against Kuueru and Kaijin, and all the events which followed it, Space Vegas was increasingly turning into one of Legume's favorite places to spend his off days. It was a place of debauchery, but it was also one of the few places in this Galaxy which he could truly say resembled the home he has since lost. The dense, sprawling metropolis and endless urban landscapes, the conflux of cultures from the entire galaxy gathering together on a single planet - it was just the type of society he was familiar with, you know? Plus, the news of warfare and chaos breaking out across the Galaxy did not affect Space Vegas at all, the planet was well protected and could call up support from Earth if necessary, a sufficient place to relax from all the dystopian horrors outside of the planet's borders.

Legume rarely spent more than a few days each time he landed here, however. The costs of everything were astronomical - the hotel, spaceship hangar rent, fuel, even the rent. And the Saiyan didn't have enough disposable income with him to afford all of that luxury - he was already struggling to make ends meet.

But for tonight, he opted to try to forget all of that, and this conviction led to him visiting one of the many bars sprawling across Space Vegas. Legume was sitting next to the bar counter, a cocktail in his hand, and casually sipping it, his ears enjoying the jazz music playing through the speakers and the relatively comfortable and quiet atmosphere aroumd him, At least until, suddenly, a dark-haired man pulled up a seat right next to him and gave an order to the reptilian bartender.

Taking a sip, Legume took a glance towards the person next to him. They... didn't seem to be in a happy mood at all. In his past life, the Saiyan had gotten pretty good in collecting information from a person's facial clues, it was a course in the Federation Military Academy - and this man was pretty much screaming as far as Legume was concerned.

Why not give it a go?

"Trying to drink away your problems too, I imagine?" the Saiyan muttered, cracking a faint snicker.

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God, could this man have chosen anything simpler? When Legume raised the question that the man was clearly trying to drown his problems in alcohol, he wanted to hear something which wouldn't leave himself bitter. Witnessing your wife cheating with your friend, gambling away your life in one of Space Vegas's many casinos... not right into politics. But nope, the black haired man was trying to drown away his frustration with what was happening across the Galaxy right now. An answer which, honestly, surprised Legume somewhat. Isn't the sorry state of this Galaxy kind of the norm for its inhabitants? This seems like something he would be frustrated with, as an outsider.

"Yeah, I feel you. There's not even a semblance of order, anywhere. It's a galaxy where man eats man with no regard for others." Legume replied, taking a sip from his half-finished drink. He still had enough cash in his pocket to go for a few repeats, so he's got the time for a conversation, why not immerse yourself in it? "Though, at the very least, I can say that the future is not all bleak. I'm sure it's possible for stuff to get better."

How? Well, that's the million dollar question, isn't it? If either one of them knew the answer, they probably wouldn't be here. He certainly would not, he had the strength to make a difference if he knew the way how.

Legume took an another sip from his cocktail and continued:

"Most people on this planet don't seem to be too interested in what's going on outside of its borders, however. If that's what's weighing on your mind, you must have a personal stake in what's going on, don't you?"

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Legume's initial guess was absolutely correct. The Saiyan not only had a personal stake in the conflict - from the way he spoke about what was weighing on his mind, he seemed to have played an important role in Galactic affairs himself. A Saiyan commander, held a high ranking position in the hierarchy of the Saiyan Kingdom (how can the Saiyans have a kingdom, weren't there only a few hundred thousand of them at this point in history?), who also personally knew Emperor Polaris despite their nations being enemies.

And now he has lost all of that to the flames of war. No Saiyan Dominion to serve under, no Polaris or Radia to prove himself against, all the people he used to call friends lost one way or another... It was an unfortunate consequence of war and human connections that when people perish, even more people lose a part of their lives despite escaping unscathed. And the dark haired man speaking to him was a great example of that. Legume finished his drink, his face somber for a few seconds as he immersed himself in thought, then the Saiyan, much like his peer, put down a few Zeni notes to get himself another drink to try to push the thoughts away.

"Losing all the foundations of your life to the fires of war and thus being left aimless, then. Yeah. Yeah, that's terrible. My... my condolences." Legume muttered, staring down to his drink, then finally taking a sip. "I could say that I'm in the same boat as you, though for different reasons. It's not that I lost everything, I just... never had anything in this universe in the first place. And all my time here has been a struggle trying to build something out of a starting point where I have nothing."

Legume took an another sip of his drink, then glanced towards his peer. "You know, we've already discussed a lot, but I don't think I have caught your name. Mine is Legume, by the way, I'm a Saiyan, just like you. ...Not from the Dominion, though. I actually did not know such a thing existed until a few months ago."

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Etohn Verstoss. Interesting, Saiyans in the distant past rarely had last names. Clearly, there must be somethingmore to his backstory - perhaps he is not a full Saiyan, or born to a society which is not characteristically Saiyan. Either way, Legume did not mind it that much, at least not enough to bother trying to poke Etohn on it, and just nodded along. After a brief explanation of how he didn't envision himself becoming a Dominion commander and had actually been just a lowly farmer before moving on at 18 years of age, Etohn tossed a question to him.

Really, he could tell that Legume was more than meets the eye so suddenly? And guess that he wields 'the form', too? He had relaxed his power level, right, it shouldn't be anything of note... clearly, this man was as much of a veteran in martial arts and warfare as his story would lead Legume to believe. The Saiyan cracked a smile, almost finishing his drink, and replied:

"I had been pleasantly surprised when I first arrived that being a Super Saiyan is a lot more unique here than where I am from, but yes, you are absolutely correct. They say that I am a sensation on Galactic media for that fact alone. As for my story..."

He has recited the tale initially weaved for him by Shroomy enough times to have it be the default answer to such questions at this point. Legume didn't even consider it to be lying at this point - just saving himself from the questions which inevitably arise when he states that he is from the future.

"There's a thick nebula out there in the Galactic Rim which is practicaly impenetrable and completely inhospitable save for a single planet inside. It's so distant and isolated from the rest of the Galaxy that it doesn't even show up on any maps - but since that nebula is everything we ever seen in our life, we've called the planet there the 'Galactic Core'. That's where I am from."

To be fair, he actually was from the Galactic Core, but a radically different one. Does it even count as lying, then?

"I was the first to manage to break through the nebula encompassing our planet... and I can't get back. I don't think I could ever repeat my course. So, basically, I'm down one homeworld and up one galaxy I've got to explore."

Legume leaned back slightly. "And honestly, what I've seen so far makes me really long for home. It did give me a... some sort of purpose, though. Since I can't really return back home, I'm trying to find a way how to, at least, turn this new society I've been thrown into even a smudge better and orderly."

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From what Etohn had given away about himself, what he had gone through and what sort of outlook on the universe this experience had formed in his mind, it came as no surprise to Legume that the Saiyan was sceptical on his resolve. After all, when you have lived in chaos and disorder your whole life, rule of law, peace and order all feel like an unachievable utopia, don't then? Legume did not see his goals as unreasonable at all, he had reason to view it as such, but he could also see where Etohn was coming from.

"Sure, it's not going to be easy, I've never stated it was, especially in such a difficult period in Galactic history..." Legume muttered in response to Etohn's scepticism. It was certainly going to be a difficult and long struggle, especially since he was only one man and he would have to fight against a whole Galaxy all by himself, even if he had already found individuals with goals similar to his own in the short time he has spent here. "But, well, don't all the examples you gave show that there really is hope somewhere out there? There are people out there, many of them incredibly powerful, who share the same vision of making life better for others, even if their vision may be distorted by their personal preferences or upbringing. It's a shared goal, not something only a few crazy people thought up in their spare time."

Legume finished off his second glass. Thankfully, he had enough alcohol tolerance from all the parties held in the Galactic Federation armed forces that he was thinking more or less clearly even after all of the alcohol intake.

"People... are inherently good, you know? We've all got an instinct of compassion and empathy, we're all social creatures and see helping each other as joy, not a chore. Otherwise, there wouldn't be such thing as society and civilization, right? We wouldn't be talking to each other in peace, we'd either be looking behind our backs to see if anyone is trying to stab us, or trying to stab each other. Those who do everything in their power to make others suffer or only seek their own, personal gain, they're not the norm, they're outside of that norm. Their influence may be greater than their actual numbers right now, but as long as we do things in the right track, the situation's bound to get better."

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Interesting. Even in this lightly drunk state, Legume apparently made enough sense for Etohn to reconsider his position. Well, less reconsider, more consider it in another light - and, again, what Etohn said followed a more or less logical train of thought. He's lost everything he could anchor himself onto in this universe, didn't he? So, that basically means he's left in a blank slate, and if there are no other options for him to take, why not try to at least make this Galaxy a better place, and together?

Legume offered a faint smile - though the fellow Saiyan still sounded highly cynical at the whole ordeal, he also appeared genuine, and how could he say no to additional valuable allies? He did not know just how strong Etohn was, but if his story holds true, then a high ranking Saiyan commander, and a Super Saiyan, should definitely hold up in the fights and battles which will follow.

"How could I decline? Of course, if you've got the will to tag along and help me out, then consider yourself welcome!" Legume exclaimed, upsetting a few nearby drunkards immersed in their drinks, and pulled his arm around Etohn's shoulder. "There's a few more of us heroes out there in the Galaxy, I keep contact with them as much as I can - we'll get you acquainted."

After releasing Etohn's shoulder and pushing his glass away, the Saiyan continued. "If you don't mind, then after both of us wear off all the alcohol, we can have a quick spar to see where both of us stand in comparison, is that a'ight? There's plenty of arenas on this planet we can rent out exactly for that occasion."

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