Chapter 18: Look to the Stars Above
[spoiler]The room was cold. As if the icy winds of Arcos had flooded the room, choking the inhabitants in a solid grip of burning ice. Salza, Neiz and Dore pressed their heads against the floor, desperate to avoid the gaze of their master. While they did know that Cooler had a much more merciful outlook towards those who served him than his brother or father (A factoid Cooler didn’t like admitting), his glare was nerve wrecking and held the signature danger of any royal Arcosian. Though, considering that this was a man who could shoot laser beam out of his eyes, it was rather fitting.
“Androids?” The question rolled bitterly off of Cooler’s song, his eyes glowering down at the bowed form of his servants, fingers digging into the arms of his ‘throne’. Behind him, the observation deck had darkened with the fall of the day, having the effect of twisting shadows around the Arcosian’s form, leaving his eyes half-hidden. But that glare never let up.
Salza’s head rose a little to say “I am sure, my Lord! Three androids” His tone official and confident.
Still, Cooler kept his icy gaze fixed upon his second-in-command, it was a very telling gaze. One that caused more pressure than relief to fall upon Salza’s shoulders. “I should hope for your sake that you are sure, for if you were to bring me such alarming news, only to find that it was all ill-founded after you waste precious time… My disappointment would know no end” His tone was still dry, there was an edge of anger here and there, but he kept his composure.
Cooler didn’t need to make a threat of bodily harm against a man like Salza. Yes, Cooler did follow the belief that to show his men the consequence of failure through his domination of his foes, but for Salza? The man was born with the military so entrenched in his genetics, body and soul that failing his superior was a fate worse than death. “I am vell aware, Sir. But it is the only vay zo explain ze strange readings from ze scouters”
It didn’t help that Salza had grown up with Captain Ginyu as a mentor. Honestly, Cooler saw it as a rather foolish outlook. But… It does secure his loyalty. “As long as you keep that in mind” The Arcosian moved his chin to rest atop his closed fist, his eyes relaxing slightly. “Is there anything useful you could find on these androids? Anything that could help?”
“I am sure zat zhey are not ze same androids that rampaged across Earth all zhose years ago” Salza’s eyes didn’t dare move from the bright purple floor plates, this position beaten into his very bones like a bad back. “A witness to the previous android’s destruction could not recognise them”
At this, Cooler’ found his breath caught up in his throat, his body shooting up to their feet. “Wait. Previous android’s destruction?” The three crewmen instantly lurched backwards at the sound of a ‘thump’ at their master’s feet hitting the ground, his voice laced with venom. “A factor you forgot to mention. That it has been confirmed that there was someone on this planet strong enough to defeat the beings who overpowered the Super Saiyan!?”
“W-we didn’t think that was an important piece of information!” Said Neiz, explaining himself through a desperate crackled tone.
“You’re not thinking, Gentlemen” The bitter Arcosian swerved to put his back to them, inching his way to the observation deck window, looking out onto the darkening landscape of the wasteland. “At least, you’re not thinking from the right point of view” The ruler raised one finger, within seconds a crimson orb developed over the finger, clashing with the shadows, and covering half of Cooler’s form with a red hue. “Take in the facts. These original androids killed the Super Saiyan the same Super Saiyan who effortlessly slaughtered both my brother and father. So, let us assume that means the one who’s hands they died at is at least as strong as them. And the possibility that they still live on this world”
The possibility of this person abusing some ulterior method that didn’t require that much power did come to mind, but Cooler looked to that as a low possibility, and one that was all too hopeful. “And at worse, they’ve grown stronger and stronger. Strong enough to be a threat” His gaze moved up towards the sky, where a few stars twinkled as reminders of faraway galaxies. “This planet is one of the lowest rated dirt balls in the universe, for centuries its strongest natural born fighters couldn’t even measure up to our foot soldiers. And even they were slaughtered by Androids. No, it’s real jewels have reportedly been from off world, or created through unnatural means. So… Who could have been this strong?”
“I think he’s thinking about this too hard…” Dore murmured to Neiz, who for the sake of his life didn’t try and make a response.
“Maybe this was the androids you met, rouges who turned on their creator and fellow tools of destruction. But that implies they were built after the rampage o the previous androids, and with the state of the world at that time, the possibility of anyone being able to make any technical marvels is low. Maybe an alien sought refuge on this planet? But a savoir with alien features would have been mentioned by this witness of yours. Maybe… Maybe…”
“Maybe a surviving Saiyan? Ze monkies could have procreated before their untimely demise…”
The mere mention of Saiyans as a possibility made Cooler stop in his tracks, his breath caught in his throat, a cold shiver running down his spine. Like an old drug habit calling to him from within. “Saiyans?” His voice became quiet and contemplative, his eyes staring into the space in front of him. All at once a golden aura took hold of his mind, a short recording playing back in his memory over and over again. The single message that made it out of King Cold’s ship. Of a Golden Devil that reduced the universe’s strongest fights to nothing without breaking a sweat. Cooler’s tounge swept over his dry lips, simply replying “No… Let’s not get out hopes up”
Dore suddenly got to his feet, smacking his hands together. “Hey! Maybe it’s that lass we met in the town!” He grinned to himself at the thought. “This girl said she was the strongest person on the planet!”
To which Salza instantly got to his feet to smack the tower of muscle upside the head. “She was being arrogant, you louse!”
“Did you not see those muscles?” To emphasise, Dore flexed.
“Your muscles are bigger than her head.”
“Oh… Good point.”
Neiz was unsure of whether to stop bowing, Salza and Dore had gotten up, but Cooler hadn’t said anything. Peer pressure and his gut were disagreeing. “We should have scanned her for her power levels…”
Salza scoffed “Have you read ANY of ze reports comprised about zis planet?”
“Nope.” Said Neiz with a shrug.
Dore slung his arm around Neiz’s head with a chuckle “Yeah, we leave all the digging to you, mate. Neiz can’t even read…”
Suddenly, Salza had the feeling he was starting to develop a twitch in reaction to Dore’s insufferable laugh. “I am surrounded by morons…” He inhaled and exhaled. He continued. “Many Earthlings who are of moderate fighting prowess have displayed ze ability to hide zheir full potential. Zhey natural power level is likely to be a mouse compared to zheir real power”
“Heh, Neiz wouldn’t even get the chance to scan her anyway when he doesn’t have his scouter anymore”
The tall amphibian instantly felt the heat of Cooler’s gaze train on him. “Explain.” The demand felt like sharp fangs pulling at Neiz’s sweaty brow.
“I don’t know how I lost it, sir. It must have just… Fell off, probably when we were moving through that crowd a while back” Neiz looked up for a moment and instantly regretted it, the Arcosian’s snake-like iris seemed primed and ready to fire.
Seeing this, Salza immediately stepped in front of Neiz with a curt bow “Zo be fair, sir, zhis is not zhat much of a loss. Ve have spares!”
“It’s not so much the value of what he has lost, Salza, but that he so fragrantly and easily lost basic equipment” Cooler’s eyes closed a sigh was taken and the master turned away yet again. “When I give orders, I expect them to be followed. Because I trust in your abilities as my hand. When I want you to fight, I trust that you’ll be experienced enough to outdo your opponent. When I want your opinion, I trust that you are knowledgeable in the subject I ask you about. But if such simple tasks and responsibilities are too much for you, if you waste resources, my trust begins to fade. And by the end, all I see is disappointments” His words were articulated to make every point clear and precise, his finger moving as if it was prepared to fire off a blast, but no such danger ever came.
“Of course, Sir. It von’t happen again, vill it, Neiz?” Salza’s foot inched backward, hitting Neiz on the snout.
“Uh, YES! That’s right! Never again!”
“Now, I trust you’ll be able to track these Androids down” Cooler returned to his throne, crossing one leg over the other in a regal stature. “But that’s not all we’re looking out for. It seems that there is much more that this planet has to offer than it would seem. While you were away scouting, I went on an adventure of my own. Salza.”
The Arcosian tapped his own scouter before he gestured to the screen on the wall, which after a few button presses from Salza lit up, a small static ensuing as colour materialised on the screen. “Connecting to zour scouter’s feed, my Lord”
Soon, the three soldiers gathered to watch the muted footage of Chorona and Cooler’s discovery of the strange time rift. Dore’s immediate reaction was ‘Pretty lady!’ while Neiz’s was simply “What’s up with the stupid hair?’
“As you can see, I had some… Pleasant company on the journey. She called herself a ‘Kai’, a term I have not heard before” Cooler was surprised when Neiz seemed to have a flash of recognition.
“A kai? I’ve heard of them before, but only in fairy tales and religions. Aren’t they supposed to be Gods of Creation or something?”
“Then that would make her a… Goddess?” The Emperor found himself chuckling at the thought. “Yes, that does seem a fitting label she would give herself” But that brought into question validity of her claims. While Neiz’s home world fairy tale could be referring to something different, Cooler couldn’t deny that some aspects about her, her clothes, and the way she carried herself. Especially her strange techniques and her obvious knowledge of this strange distortion they encountered.
They did seem to be fitting of any mention of gods his father had told him about. Though, he had never heard of a God of Creation, only the idea of a God of Destruction, more specifically a being his Father had taken great lengths to warn both him and his brother about; Lord Beerus.
A God of Creation would make sense, in a cosmic hierarchy of deities the universe would seek to strike a balance in their positions. Before creation comes destruction. He had much to think about later.
“It is likely that we shall cross paths with her again, a perfect opportunity to learn more” Something bigger was going on here, this planet is the centre of some cosmic event, and she was wrapped up in it as well.
“So, she’s a friend?” Dore asked hopefully.
“If we meet her…” Cooler stopped, thinking it over. She would certainly be much more valuable as an ally, even without the possibility of her godly status as well as her ‘personality’, her abilities and knowledge could be a very fruitful addition under Cooler’s command. And he did need a foot stool… “We treat her as a possible ally. But always be ready to start slitting throats. As I’ve learned growing under the shadow of my father’s incompetence, the sharpest blades hide behind such beautiful faces”
And now, Cooler had to try and explain what the hell happened when the video cut off at the crystal sucking Cooler and Chorona in…
It was going to be a long day.
***
With a sigh, Videl inched her head to the side, dodging yet another shard of glass that was wrenched from her window frame by ‘the wind’. This shard joining the other few, embedding themselves into the wall to from a glass outline of the woman’s tilted head. “Window’s ain’t cheap, you know!” She called out to the broken window.
“Hehehe, sorry. I won’t do it ag-“ Before Pan could even finish her repeated apology another shard exploded from the frame and went right through Videl’s Heatap can.
“For the ninth time going…”
She heard her daughter let out another grunt, probably kicking her feet into the air for her daily training exercises. “Hey! Don’t worry about it, you’ll be able to buy twenty windows with the prize money when I win the tournament”
After the tenth shard ripped her favourite vase off the table and into the floor, the mother (Who was starting to reach the end of her patience) clicked off the television with a grumble and pulled herself up towards the window. Looks like she wasn’t getting any sleep tonight by the tv. Another ‘heeeya!’ ripped through the air as Videl hopped over the broken window, witnessing Pan’s fist collide with the air at such a speed that it sent a visible shockwave barrelling into a nearby street lamp; reducing said street lamp to a broken mess. “I’m not looking forward to the repair bills I’m gonna get this week…”
An awkward laugh from Pan. “T-That old thing was broken anyway”
And another angry twitch from Videl. “Why don’t you find somewhere empty to train? You know, somewhere where nobody knows who I am and where to send their complaints?”
“Pffft, I’m just a student! I can’t train on my own when I still have so much to learn” Pan shook her head, accompanied by a ‘Tsk, tsk, tsk’ that made Videl’s eye twitch again. “So, I’m having Dad oversee my training. I mean, he doesn’t really have anything else to do all day” It was only then that Videl noticed the fact that the girl was doing all this directly in front of Gohan’s grave. “He thinks I’m doing great. Though I think he’s a bit scared of that glare you got there…”
“It’s times like this I ask myself why I didn’t take ChiChi’s advise and make you a book worm” Despite an obvious puncture in the can, Videl raised her drink to her lips the cold liquid inside offering a cold tingle to her tired and dishevelled face.
Pan thought for a second, before saying “Because I can’t pretend to talk with my dad’s grave about the ‘Theory of Relativity’?”
“Well, at least I don’t have to worry about you being crazy…”
“There’s nothing wrong with talking to a grave” Said Pan, her cheeks puffing out into a pout. “I know he’s not actually there, but I feel more confident. And I like that because that means, even indirectly he’s still helping me” She fell down into a sitting position beside the grave, patting away the dust on the engravings. “Besides, I’ve gotta make up for the fact that he won’t be there for my dream anymore”
“This is going to be stupid, isn’t it?”
“I’ve told you about this before!” The girl whined, lowering herself onto her back to look up to the night sky. She patted the spot beside her. “Sit.”
“Urg… Fine, but I’m going to fall asleep while you talk” The grown woman made her way over to her daughter and laid beside her for the first time in ten years, the cold and rough dirt already irritating her. “Okay, what’s the dream? Strongest fighter, right?”
“That’s just the start! Just one dream ain’t enough for Son Pan, especially one that comes as natural and easy to me. ‘Cus I’m already the best, just gotta prove it” Pan pointed skywards towards the stars. “I want to go up there, where there’s no limits, where everything is strange and alien to me. Somewhere away from here”
“Hey! My company isn’t THAT bad, is it?” Videl chuckled
“It’s not that, Mom. I love you all. I don’t want to get away from you, just… Earth is where everything’s already happened. And I spent my days growing up in the worst of it. Like… I was late to a barbecue and got left with the salad. I feel trapped a bit, by all the… the… Urg, how do I put it?”
“Scars of the past?”
“Yeah, something like that!” Pan leaned her head against Videl’s shoulder “And the only way to escape those chains is be like the small blue bird that leaves the nest after someone sets it on fire. You know, the one that gets eaten but still feels brave and stunning and all those adjectives. If I get far enough away, I can… I can… I can be free to enjoy life, without the constant reminders. I can fight freely”
“Is this why you want to fight so much? Because you feel obligated to?”
“I don’t know. And that’s the worst of it. I love fighting, it’s amazing and I will always be proud of where I come from. But sometimes I wonder if that’s real, if that’s my feels and not just me trying to be something I’m not” She sighed as her mother’s arm moved to wrap around her waist, pulling the girl into a hug. “Bulma thinks it might be a Saiyan thing, that maybe I’m not thrown into life-or-death situations enough”
“I think she was joking”
“It would make sense though…” Videl’s eyes fell on her daughter for the moment, feeling completely helpless when it came to Saiyan matters. “So, that’s your dream? TO leave us here on Earth while you have the time of your life with intergalactic bug people?”
“Whoa! No! I wouldn’t leave you guys here, you’re all coming with me, of course”
“All? Who els-“
Pan sprang to her feet, her initially dreary look replaced with a giddy smile, her fingers digging into her pockets to pull out something she was quite eager to show. “All my friends and family! We can’t just stay a part, how’d you guys live without me there?”
Unfortunately for Videl, in the process of getting up so fast, Pan sent her mother face first into the mud. Without a word, the sighing mother scrapped away the dirt from her face as she got to her feet, trying to resist slapping the girl (Even if it wouldn’t affect the Saiyan) and simply looked at the picture. It was an old and crumbled piece of paper, obviously more than a few years old, and with the use of crayon and stick figures Videl hoped this wasn’t Pan’s best attempt at drawing.
“TADA, Pan’s Ultimate Spectacular Amazing Super Tasty Sexy Plan!” Pan pointed to a piece of the paper that showed two stick figure, one orange with ‘cool flames’ surrounding him and the other with doodles on it’s head reading ‘Girly hair’. “Step one: Daddy and Trunks kick Android butt” Opposite them two stick figures with stink lines are left on the floor crying. “Step two: Bulma makes the world suck less” And there the Bulma stick figure stood atop a giant candy cane. “Step three: Bulma builds a spaceship that’s straight out of the movies… And made of candy” Now the Bulma figure was being abducted by aliens. “Step four: Space, the first stop is the moon made of cheese”
This lead Pan’s finger to the back of the paper where a large mess of colour was drawn, as if a crayon had vomited all over the sheet. “Here’s me…” Pan was driving a motorcycle in front of an impressive ship, plenty of cheeses in hand, and wearing shades. “And you’re, uh…” Videl’s eye twitched once more upon seeing the stick figure of her, who was being carried away by cheese people with the words ‘Nagging Nacy’ over her head. “And there’s Trunks in the sky, because he has no sense of dramatic timing” The sword on his back was bigger than his entire body. “Bulma is making sure that the ship is in tip-top shape…” The Bulma figure was sunbathing on top of the ship, a drink in one hand and a wrench in the other. “And Dad’s there… Holding my hand while on the back of the motorcycle…” It was completely unsafe. “And I added in 16 a few years later, because there’s no way he’d miss this chance”
16 was sitting with the singing cheese people, shades on while he played the saxophone. Videl was quite confused. “Why is there so much fire everywhere?”
“I was little, fire meant cool…”
“You think Bulma will build you a ship?”
“Trunks said she would totally do it, and if not, we’d just build it ourselves!” Said Pan in a rather loud tone, proclaiming with her finger extended. “I mean, yes, he was like… Ten when he said that. But he PINKY promised me that someday, after the androids were destroyed, he’d get us into space. And then we’d find that place Dad went to when everyone died before, Namek, and get all our family and friends back” She slammed her fist into her palm. “And all with rock songs blasting in the background to make it a super cool adventure”
“It’s a nice dream…” Videl rolled her eyes, sighing at the girl and getting to her feet. It was about time she headed to bed, or at least try to. “Come now, you’ve got to get some rest. If you just keep training all the time you’ll start harming the progress you’ve made, and then how will you win the prize money to pay for my window”
“But I’ve just got too much energy! A few more minutes, I promise I won’t hit our house… Can’t say the same for the neighbours”
It was going to be a long night.[/spoiler]