Description: Vega's begun his plan - but to succeed, he needs /all/ his minions on board, including the recently crushed, but still angry Tiger of Thailand. How to win him over? Perhaps offering him the safety of the country he holds dear...
[OOC] Vega starts a log.
[OOC] Vega can scene.
[OOC] Vega er, set
[OOC] Sagat laughs.
[OOC] Sagat says, "Okay. e_x"
"Summon Sagat here. It's important."
With the command, a Doll would be sent to bring Sagat to the Throne Chamber of Shadaloo. He's been handled with kid gloves since his return to Shadaloo's 'embrace'. After all, a broken tool is useless - a weapon that cannot function is worthless to Vega. However, he cannot leave this confrontation off any longer, not with the way things are beginning to spiral out of control. No, the psychic /knows/, deep in the black pit of his heart, that for what comes next, he needs /all/ his minions working and working well together. That, above all else - that is what matters in this place, this time.
And with that, he's made some difficult decisions.
He sits in his throne, slouched back and resting his chin on his hand, eyeing the monitors that dominate the wall. All of them now show various bits of Southtown, Dolls and other lesser minions having infiltrated the city, preparing for what is to come. He's been given a bird's eye, and street level view of what is happening, while it is happening - and he can see the ways that the wind will blow, once he makes his mark on the world again. There, he waits - Sagat will come when he is ready. And then..
They must talk.
At some point in his long life of five decades, he caught Vega's eye. And since that moment, he has had nothing but regret. He tasted freedom only once sine then and while it lasted, it was glorious. But the past has a way of catching up with you. And when that past happens to be led by the inhuman monster at the head of Shadaloo, all the fight in the world seems insufficient to make that period of release last for long.
He had said he needed nothing Vega could give him, but then the giant fell at the dictator's feet. His time back at the base has been spent mostly in isolation. No training, no venturing out. His meals were delivered by staff to his quarters as the titan among men brooded in darkness.
Days have past before this summons to talk but when the call comes, the tall kickboxer arrives. Clothed in a dark colored suit, a hooded jacket covering his torso and head, the one eyed combatant enters the throne room, silent but for the weight of his footsteps against the floor. If there were any concern that he might come in swinging, those worries could be put to rest immediately. He moves with a certain calmness, shoulders squared, jaw firm, but without the quickened step of one intending another fight. He had his chance to prove his worthiness to escape this life and when that moment came, he failed. A battle lost in the war does not mean the war is over, but a cease fire may still be prudent for the time being...
"Good. You've come."
Quietly said, Vega's words are still powerful. They have the full force of his near-indomitable will behind them, a will that's crushed many lesser men beneath it. His blank white eyes look up at the tall figure entering, again marvelling at the power that he's been fortunate enough to be able to keep wrapped under his thumbs. It's a dangerous thing, to ride a Tiger. Especially one such as Sagat.
First - the difficult parts. Vega rises to his feet, hands clasped behind his back, cape waving behind him as he moves. There's a moment where he passes Sagat, on his way to the monitors - his back to the other warrior's back, perhaps making this easier to say.
"Thailand was a mistake, Sagat. An overreaching that affected the land you hold in esteem."
It's said quietly - but it is also said directly into Sagat's mind, using that mastery of Psycho Energy that Vega has. What is said, cannot be unsaid. The Lord of Shadaloo, the Dictator of Thailand, admitting to a flaw, a fumble in his great and glorious plans? Absurd! Unthinkable!
Yet undeniably real.
He continues quickly, pushing past whatever Sagat may think or feel about those words, brushing them aside with the knowledge that they have been uttered. Time will tell if they're truthful, or just an attempt to mollify his 'Number One'. "I've chosen a new way to bring Shadaloo to power. A way that will involve less disruption to this land. And, better still, an end to one of Shadaloo's old enemies."
He glances over his shoulder, white eyes calculating. "I need your help."
His fists, wrapped in white tape even though he hasn't shown signs of training for days, clench at his sides as Vega gets up. Is it willpower that keeps him from trying to attack the man now in a suicidal bid for his freedom? Or is it fear? The uncertainty of this question cannot be resolve in the space of time he has to think on it, and not knowing the answer leaves the powerful fighter uncomfortable even now. One minute at a time, he decides; one day at a time... someday the right moment will come again.
Vega speaks. At first out loud, but subsequently with a voice directly into his mind. An apology no tape recorder would ever catch, as if to be able to maintain deniability except for that memory imprinted upon Sagat's mind. An apology for the harm done to the proud kickboxer's homeland. A war that tore his people asunder, left many dead, and the government in shambles. A mistake. As if saying that should make it all right. He should crush Vega's SKULL for such an affront, for the damages done. He should-...
A deep grunt represents his audible acknowledgement of the admitted error. He knows he can't hide his anger over it from the most powerful psychic in the world. Vega would know. But... he would also sense that diminishing vigor in Sagat's heart, almost as if he was accepting the apology for what it was. A real declaration of Vega's epiphany. Perhaps... there need be no rush in resuming his fight for freedom after all. Perhaps, with his homeland safe, he can take his time... ride this out...
Vega declares a need for his help. Slowly, Sagat turns around, his single good eye fixated intensely on the dictator. "My. Help." he utters, his voice even now the sound of a caged tiger waiting to kill. Vega is offering to spare Thailand in his ambitions, however. A detail that does seem to hold sway with the patriot. "You..." he speaks up againk, his voice slow, reverberating deep, his lips trembling, drawn back slightly, as if bordering on a growl. "...you have my attention..." he finishes, exhaling, his borderline edge melting into a hint of resignation.
Still, if he is to go through with this, he needs to say something else. If he cannot do it now, he will not be able to later. It is the choice between willfully submitting or having his psyche broken by prolonged resistance. Say it now and prove to himself that he has the strength to endure this, or stay silent and face inevitable collapse.
"Lord Vega."
There. He said it. He feels a part of him die inside in the doing, but... it also means that he has the will to see this charade... this truce of convenience through. For his people and for his... eventual vengeance... against Vega, against that pissant Adon, and against Ryu... he has the strength to sacrifice much.
And Sagat is still angry. This is .. unsurprising. Again, Vega makes an oveture of convienence, of atttempting to draw Sagat further into Shadaloo, only to have it thrown back, without words. Vega bristles as well - after all, he's never had to say 'I was wrong', before. Yet, when he does, it doesn't settle things - not if the roar in the tiger's heart says anything about it.
He's cold when he turns. He can see that slight weakening, the practicality taking over the intrinsic rage Sagat is full of. In the end, he knows what will happen. He's a psychic, after all - Rose is not the only one who can see what will be, fuzzy as it is. It's a tale he's walked through before with Sagat, and will walk through again. Betrayal, vengance, and obedience. In the end, as long as Vega is obeyed for now, he'll deal with the rest.
"Geese Howard has held control of all Southtown's influence far too long. He shows a face to the world that he uses to shade himself from destruction. We're going to rip that mask off."
There's going to be difficulties, truth be told. Sagat should know how formidable Geese will be, to beard him in his own den. Vega's certain the man is more than used to dealing with monsters of any variety. "When that day comes, Shadaloo will replace it. Thailand - it will no longer be needed by Shadaloo. There are other, /better/ places." Places that should not involve Thailand getting crushed in another war. It's the subtle carrot to the stick of obedience. As long as Vega is distracted elsewhere, and as long as this is successful - Thailand is safe.
The phrase 'deal with a devil' comes into play at times like this. That sacrifice in hopes of gaining 'more'. More power. More strength. More protection. More... time. But at what price? It's a steep one: his pride, his freedom for now. But the dictator needs him, which means, for now, an agreement can exist between them. To take on Geese... "The King of Southtown," the titan utters, his mind shifting directions as Vega goes over what is to come. His voice holds an edge of derision.
"Then we are to topple the crimelord from his city..." the kickboxer muses, a meaty fist rising to his chin to cradle it thoughtfully. It would take Shadaloo out of Thailand at last, once Vega had a new nation to call his own. It would bring that peace to his people he fought for during the war. It would be... one... triumph in a life full of regrets. For that the Tiger's heart can be encouraged. "Very well."
His hand lowers, his right fist crushing into his left palm, air, compressed to vapor, exploding out from between his fingers from the forces involved. "You will have my fist in your war. My loyalty, my dedication." This time the powerful Psycho Power user will have little trouble tasting the sincerity in Sagat's voice. This is something the towering man /wants/, and he seems willing to lay down the price to obtain it.
"We will crush that man, and any who get your way will fall along with him. Of that... you can be absolutely certain." His head bows, his eye dropping to the floor, breaking freeze of the white-eyed gaze of the Shadaloo leader.
[OOC] Vega says, "excellent e_e/\"
[OOC] Sagat nods. e_x
[OOC] Vega doesn't actually say that, but it is definitely thought.
[OOC] Sagat laughs.
[OOC] Vega says, "One more, then I should probably start winding down for bed?"
[OOC] Sagat says, "Awesome."
Pride, Freedom - does Sagat truly /need/ these things, when the alternative is so much more important than that? Vega plays his cards out, manipulation on the scale that he'd given Adon, which lead to Sagat's own downfall. He's manipulated Sagat, given him the choice he /must/ take, to bring his determination and will to where it needs to be. He's refocused the giant on a new target, at least for a small amount of time. Long enough, perhaps, to complete his plans.
"We will do so, with overwhelming force. Allies will come, and we will make our show of power. When it is all over..."
Vega walks from the throne room, his voice echoing as he does, his last words for Sagat, and those monitors, displaying what Southtown is, and what Vega's idea of what Southtown will be.
"Then.. that anger you have, we will address it. Soon enough, Sagat. Soon enough."
[OOC] Sagat nice. e_e
[OOC] Sagat says, "We can wrap with that."
[OOC] Vega says, "yay"
Log created on 23:11:00 02/18/2009 by Vega, and last modified on 03:42:44 02/21/2009.