The Missing Holidays: A TriEarth Battle
A lost Tolkien Chapter
Shortly after Gandalf's departure in Chapter 12
Gandalf hiked onward through the forest, gazing thoughtfully up at the starry night sky. It would not take long to reach the Outpost; he knew that for sure. He had been called earlier by Kame, the Guardian of Higher Earth, to come to another Triune Meeting there to discuss "urgent business". It had taken every ounce of energy he had left in him to make the long journey from Mirkwood and he was late enough now as it was. There was a good chance he could be demoted for sure. He scowled sourly to himself. Had it not been for those blasted dwarves…
His mind wandered back to when he had left them on the edge of Mirkwood Forest a few days before. He could tell they were dismayed to see him leave them when they were entering the most dangerous phase of their journey. In all truth, to Gandalf it had become most annoying to see how dependent the dwarves were on him to get them out of every situation that crossed their path. Perhaps leaving them could be a good thing, to help them grow up a bit and be more independent. Of course there was poor Mr. Baggins… he still wondered if he had done the right thing dragging the little fellow on this treasure hunt of theirs. There is nothing you can do about it now, he kept thinking to himself. Besides, perhaps the lad would get something out of it in the end…
Gandalf's thoughts were interrupted as he finally came to the edge of the forest and into a small clearing. It was a grassy meadow and looked normal enough that no normal creature would suspect anything of it. But Gandalf knew better…he was a wizard after all, and wizards are blessed with certain senses and abilities beyond normal magic. He reached out with his ki to feel for the energy that was somewhere in the clearing that would lead to the Outpost. He touched the aura of the area with his mind in order to do what he had been trained to do: to look without his eyes and to hear without his ears. Ah there it was. He extended his arms upward and shouted out in a loud, booming voice, "Kintoun! Come and allow me a path to the presence of Kame, I beseech you!"
A few moments later, a small yellow cloud hovered in front of Gandalf. The Kintoun was not a normal cloud and only those deemed worthy of going to the Outpost of Kame would be able to stand on it without falling through. Gandalf hesitantly stepped forward and stood on top of it, a bit unsteadily at first. Air travel had never been his favorite mode of transportation and the Kintoun was a shaky way of traveling through the worlds. Once he was standing balanced, it slowly began to rise farther away from the ground and high into the night sky.
It almost seemed like they were going into the stars themselves when a void opened itself up in front of them. Gandalf could feel the suction from the gateway. It was the path from Middle Earth to Higher Earth and the way to Kame's tower. He felt himself rise a bit off the Kintoun and he crouched down to keep himself on the small cloud. It had been quite a while since he had crossed the gateway to one of the other Earths.
Slowly the pressure released and Gandalf stood up once more. Right off he remembered how Higher Earth was much different from his realm of Middle Earth. From the altitude he stood at Gandalf looked over the span of the whole world. It was greener than his Earth and there was much more vegetation and wildlife. Waterfalls sent showers of mist over small woodland valleys and large herds of great beasts ran through large fields. Huge snowcapped mountains towered over small cities and villages of people. The air was fresh and sweet, not like the dirtier troubled air of Middle Earth.
But soon the world became smaller as they headed farther up into the sky. It was not night here and Gandalf felt warmed by the large sun that shown down on them as they rose. Squinting in the light, Gandalf could see a strange discuss shaped structure above them. Slowly it became larger and larger until he could clearly see it…Kame's Outpost.
Gandalf looked at the Outpost as they approached it, coming closer and closer until he could make it out in detail. It was huge in of itself, spanning the length of a few large stadiums. Spanning a whole half of the structure was a large pagoda type temple, while on the other side there were large training fields and sparring areas. It looked more like a training center than a meeting place, let alone the palace of the Guardian of an Earth.
The Kintoun slowly landed on a marble base near the steps of the temple and Gandalf stepped off of it. It floated up the stairs and he followed it as they made their way through a few small halls. The walls were adorned with tapestries and scrolls of different languages and runes Gandalf had never seen before. There were many pictures of strange fighters and creatures of a variety of species from other worlds.
Eventually they entered a small circular room with a seating table at the center. There were three seats at the table, one for each Guardian of the TriEarth, and two were already taken. Gandalf approached it with an air of respect, and he bowed lowly on one knee and acknowledged the two, then rose again.
The Guardian at the head of the table was Kame, wearing a flowing robe and cape of white and gold. He was not human like Gandalf but a Nameckseijin, a race of beings that lived on a small planet of Nameck in Higher Earth. He looked mostly human, except for his dark green skin and clawed hands. Two small antennae protruded from the sides of his forehead and they twitched slightly as he smiled at the Kintoun. "Good work, my small friend. Thank you for fetching him," he said in a kindly quiet voice. If Gandalf didn't know any better, it looked as if the cloud bowed at this comment. It then quickly floated off back down another hall and disappeared.
Next to Kame sat the other ruler, Prince Vegita, the Guardian of Lower Earth. His arms folded over his chest, the young man sat slouched with one knee propped on the table. He wore dented and scratched body armor and a blood red cape. He was more human than Kame but the small brown tail that protruded from the small of his back gave away his alien heritage as a Saiyajin from the planet Vejiitasei in Lower Earth. Saiyajins lived to fight and conquer, with brutish, arrogant attitudes and phenomenal strength over smaller, weaker species. He regarded Gandalf with still glaring eyes and snorted. "I thought you were never going to show up. Can we get on with this? I have better things to do with my time."
Gandalf nodded curtly down at him. "You have not changed a bit Vegita…you are still the overly confident boy ruler you always were."
Vegita glanced up at him, smirking slightly. "And you have not changed, Gandalf…still the sentimental old fool I always took you for. And you'll probably always stay that way, too... that's the way your kind is."
Just as Gandalf prepared another witty comeback, Kame's voice cut between the two. "Please gentlemen, we have much urgency to discuss and we have no time for such idle feuds. Please Gandalf take your seat."
As Gandalf sat at his place, the top of the table's surface hummed slightly and projected a holographic image before the three guardians. It was a view of the TriEarth, showing the three different levels and the planets in each that made up the entire system. But in the corner of the image, two small objects could be seen moving forward, cutting through space toward the Higher Earth region.
Kame pointed at the two objects. "Those two pods are from a whole other system entirely. My sources have told me that they are intent on conquering TriEarth and destroying its inhabitants, then bartering the planet to intergalactic trade organizations."
Vegita fingered his chin thoughtfully and smiled to himself. "Hmm…I do like the way these creatures work. Lacking a bit of finesse, but anyone can work around that."
Kame went on, ignoring him. "They also have extremely strong fighting powers…more powerful than anything in this world can handle. There is also a story, I am not sure if it is true, about how they sent a creature ahead to see what our world had to offer. A great beast of unimaginable strength and force, but with a greed for hoarded treasure. Somehow theses visitors are linked to it and have come to retrieve it."
Gandalf sat deep in thought. Could that description possibly befit Smaug, the dragon that was lying in the base of the Lonely Mountain? A wave of uneasiness hit him as the realization sunk in as he remembered Thorin and Company… those dwarves were on a suicide mission. If what Kame said was true, there would be no coming back for those unfortunates… unless…
He turned quickly to his fellow Guardian. "Is there some way we can fight them? Perhaps our three-combined ki could possibly be enough? There has got to be some way."
Kame smiled slightly at him, his eyes soft yet defiant. "I guess there's only one way to find out, isn't there?"
Vegita scowled at the two. "Yeah, right. Tell me why I, Vegita, the Prince of Saiyajins, should waste my time trying to save your two stinking realms. Its not my fault you aren't strong enough to save your own hides." He rose out of his seat, his cape flowing as he turned away. "I'm going back to Lower Earth…handle this yourself."
Gandalf felt himself rise in anger. He walked speedily and blocked his path. "Stop, Vegita! Take a moment out of your precious time and consider this: what do you think these intruders are going to do when they finish with us? After they take care of Middle and Higher Earth? They are going to come after you, oh mighty Prince of Saiyajins. And not even all your warriors will be able to stop them. But if we fight together, there may be a way we can stop them for good and save the entire TriEarth." He stopped for a moment and stroked his beard for dramatic effect. "But of course if you're afraid to fight…"
Gandalf could feel the extreme rise in power the warrior began to emit from his anger. He leveled his eyes at Gandalf and clenched his fists convulsively, vibrating in rage. "I do not fear anyone…alien, Guardian, no one. And there is no way a couple of stinkin' aliens are taking my planet while I am still ruler. So if we're going to fight this out…" He removed his cape and threw it behind him so he stood clad only in his battle armor. "Let's go finish it."
* * *
"Wake up, Winter Jade. Destination reached. Wake up, Winter Jade. Destination reached," the programmed voice repeated.
Winter shook her clouded head as she started to fully awaken from her hibernation state inside her pod. She was surprised crashing on the planet had not awoken her. Heavy sleeper, I guess, she thought to herself. She cracked her stiff hands and flexed her muscles. "Yeah, yeah I'm awake," she muttered groggily to no one as she typed in the command to open the capsule.
She stepped out and for the first time since she had left the Federation's planet, got a good look at where exactly she was. It was a nice planet, very elaborate and clean. The air was so pure it was almost sweet and the sky was a deep blue, a single sun burning down on the landscape. "Yes, I think this TriEarth will do very nicely indeed," she muttered to herself.
"I do, too," a voice behind her replied. She turned her head to see her companion Radditz, fully recovered from the pod's hibernation. He was much larger then she, towering in height compared to her. His angular face was framed by long, shaggy black hair that fell far down his back. He stood in the same black fighting gi as her and began to stretch out a bit.
Radditz had been Winter's companion for as long as she could remember. They had grown up, trained, just been together since childhood. He seemed like the closest thing to a friend that she had ever known. Of course she never actually told him that. "Have a nice rest?" she asked sarcastically.
He bent his neck back and cracked it loudly in reply. "Oh yeah, nothing better then being in a cramped state for three lunar months. Remind me to thank the Federation for the comfortable conditions."
Winter chuckled slightly. "Well I believe they will be happy with this…we ought to get a get a good payment for this place. But it will have to be prepared for their arrival." She turned and held her arms to her side, grinding her fists and charging her ki to its highest level as she spoke.
But suddenly Radditz's hand struck her shoulder. "No, wait, feel for a moment."
Obediently, she calmed her energy and reached out with her mind. There were three very distant energy sources, rather insignificant actually, moving steadily toward their location. But still they were the strongest on the planet. "Yes… I see them. They are coming from the north and should arrive any moment."
Radditz turned for a second, thinking over the situation. When he turned back to her, Winter could see the glint in his eye he always had when he was about to go into battle. "Well then, we'll have to give the welcoming committee a greeting they won't want to miss, won't we?"
Winter returned his smile and began to charge up again. "Just like old times."
* * *
Kame, Vegita, and Gandalf flew at a jet rate through the sky toward where the two pods had touched down. Knowing they did not have much time to spare in getting to the visitors, they had managed to combine their ki just enough to allow them enough energy to use their abilities to fly. Such an ability was only used in cases of an emergency.
Vegita had been all too eager to begin the fight. "Saiyajins live to fight," he had explained. "This is just an everyday walk in the park!"
Kame had been more simple-minded. He had taken Gandalf off to the side earlier while preparing to leave. "This will be unlike any other battle you have ever gone into Gandalf. There is a very good chance some of us, if not all, may not return from it."
"If it will help to save my world, then I shall have a hand in it," he had replied nobly.
Now, as he flew beside his fellow Guardians, he could not help but be afraid. It was a deeper fear, not like the raw feeling he had when he was trapped in the trees of the Wargs. No, this was more of a realizing fear, knowing that this could be his last stand for his TriEarth. But if it was… Good-bye, Bilbo Baggins, kindly Hobbit of the Shire. Thorin Oakenshield, born King Under the Mountain. And farewell to all the dwarves who you are taking with you to the grave. I shall do what I can to save you, but if I fail…forgive me.
A few moments later, Gandalf looked down to see the clearing open beneath him. He could see the two warriors, standing side by side next to their two open pods. Gandalf almost fell from his floating position when he felt their power, emanating from just their standing positions. "They aren't even trying! Can't you feel it?" he asked, a hint of panic in his voice.
Gandalf glanced over at Kame, whose eyes were wide and his mouth gaping at the pair. "It's…not…possible!" he managed to say. Vegita was impassive as usual, but Gandalf could see something that he took for Saiyajin fear in his eyes.
Vegita was the first to sink to the ground. He stood, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes level with the warriors. He said nothing, only began to charge his ki to its maximum high. Kame came down next to him and, having regained his calm, also did the same. Lastly, Gandalf came to rest a bit closer to the visitors. Thinking that perhaps reason may settle this, he approached them. "Who are you and why are you here?"
The taller male came forward first. He was very muscular, and his long face showed a humored smirk as he looked at him through hard eyes. His voice was cold as mithril and he spoke calmly. "We have come to collect your planet. I am Radditz, high soldier of the Federation's finest troops."
The smaller female came forward. She looked very similar to the taller one in face but she was not as built. She was also young, barely to an age of being a fighter. She pushed back her long white hair. "And I am Winter, the second in command. Might I suggest you forfeit this battle, it would save you much more energy."
Vegita suddenly stepped forward. His staid mask was replaced with anger at this last suggestion. "I will never surrender. We aren't here to listen to you or let you destroy us; we're here to fight. So let's get on with it…as I have said I don't have time to waste on you scum."
Winter smiled dangerously and took a defensive stance in front of him. "Then make some time."
Vegita smirked slightly. "Fine," he said his voice low. With the one word, he launched into a fury of punches and kicks straight at Winter. She kept in perfect stride with him, barely breaking into a sweat. Vegita could only feel a few of his attacks connect, and even at that they were weak.
As the two began their sparring, Kame and Gandalf turned to Radditz. "Well I guess that's my cue," the alien said, smiling. He raised one palm upward and began collecting his ki into one orb around it. It sizzled and cracked with the raw energy he fed into it. "Let's get started with a bang, shall we?" he shouted out and threw the ball heavily at the two.
Kame, having felt the movement of the blast, sidestepped and pushed out with a blast of his own. The two blew up together upon contact, but Kame looked slightly drained. "That was one of my stronger attacks," he murmured to Gandalf as he crouched into a low cat stance.
"Then we will just have to try and make due with what else we have," Gandalf replied. He started to send out long rushes of energy through the beam of his staff. "Hopefully this will work," he managed to say through gritted teeth.
He pointed the staff directly at Radditz and let all his ki go.
* * *
Winter Jade kept fighting with Vegita. His punches and kicks were getting slightly harder to block, they were coming so quickly and strongly. She was amazed at the power these people could possess. So devoted to their world…she thought to herself.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the Guardian suddenly jumped back. "Alright, let's see how you can handle this, woman!" he growled as he pulled back both his hands to his sides. Winter suddenly felt his power increase as he let go a series of massive ki blasts from his palms.
She jumped back dodging each one quickly. But a few did connect, and she staggered back in pain. She licked her lip and could taste her own blood. Her mind clouded for a moment…these fighters were unlike anything she or Radditz had ever come against. They were strong, and persistently determined. It was refreshing to see such zealous.
Winter smiled at Vegita fleetingly. "Very good…very good indeed. You've got some talent there, my friend… I will see you have a funeral worthy of a warrior of your standing."
Vegita smirked at the comment. "Sorry I'll have to miss it," he said quickly, and he launched into another round of attacks.
* * *
Radditz saw the great mass of energy coming at him and he quickly ducked out of the way. It moved by with incredible size and flare, but he found there was no real speed behind it. He stood back up from his crouching position and swung his hair back nonchalantly. "Is that the best you can do?" he said, laughing.
Gandalf smiled back. "No…this is!" He swung his staff once, calling back the orb. It came back fast, slamming Radditz from behind.
Such power…how can this be?! I am an elite of the Federation's guard! Radditz thought as he jetted into the ground, his back burning from the attack. He tried to stand up, but could only manage a crawling position. He looked up at the two Guardians standing in front of him and he fired another blast in between them.
Kame and Gandalf both flew in opposite directions as the blast hit the ground. Kame yelled from his position, "Now, Gandalf! Fire!"
* * *
Winter jumped away from another blast. Vegita was coming stronger and stronger, and she didn't know how much longer she could face him. These ones are…so powerful! she thought as she hit the ground from another blast.
Suddenly, something caught her eye. Winter glanced over to see Radditz on the ground a little way from her. The two other Guardians were on opposite sides of him. The Nameckseijin yelled out, "Now, Gandalf! Fire!"
Winter felt something strange come over her. It was a peaceful feeling, something she had never felt before. For the first time she felt a strange kinship to Radditz. Before, Radditz had always been a partner, a sparring companion, a comrade in arms… but seeing him now, under attack and threat of death, she knew something else. He was her friend and the love she had for him was stronger then any ki attack she could ever learn. And though afraid, she knew what she had to do.
Without thinking twice, Winter turned away from Vegita and threw herself in front of Radditz, taking the shots head-on.
* * *
Radditz lay on the dirt, his back bleeding and burning more from the blast he had taken. "And so now comes the end for a true warrior…" he mumbled to himself as he prepared for the two blasts.
But they never came. He painfully crawled to a sitting position and looked up. All three of the Guardians were looking down at him, their faces full of surprise. Radditz, confused, looked down. Winter lay, breathing heavily and dying, on the ground in front of him.
He suddenly felt the air in his throat leave him as he saw her. He reached down and picked her body up. She seemed so much weaker, more frail…a shell of her former battling self. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him with a gaze Radditz had never seen her give. "Radditz… why does it take…this…for me to finally…understand…?"
Radditz reached out and took hold of her hand. "To understand…what, Winter?"
She choked and her eyes filled with tears. "To understand…what love is. What…true devotion…is. I love you…more then anyone else…you've always been my friend… I was always afraid it…wouldn't be so…But now I know," she managed out, letting one small sob escape from her throat.
Radditz felt his body wrack with grief. "And you…have been mine…but why? Why now? Winter, please don't leave me!" He was practically at the point of yelling and his voice was giving out, until he was painfully hoarse.
Winter reached up with one grimy hand and wiped away one of his tears. "Is this…what it means…to say good-bye, Radditz? If it is…then I must go now…But please, don't forget…" Her eyes fluttered once more and then all was still.
Radditz sat, cradling Winter's still body in his hands. And he did something that never in his entire life, even after the worst trainings or battles, he had ever done. He sat and he wept. And he continued crying until his eyes were red and dry from all his tears shed. Finally he laid the body down and stood up. When he turned to face the three, his eyes were bitter and his rage flared once more. "Now, I will avenge her! Your whole planet is history now, mark my words!" he screamed at them.
Radditz gathered all his power into one blast. It was enormous, greater than any source of power Gandalf had ever seen. Radditz heaved it above his head. "Say good-bye to your world, fools!" he growled in rage.
Just as he was about to let it go, a bright light shown from below the ground. It cracked and split the earth itself, opening it up like a torn pocket. Suddenly the whole landscape was flooded in a white blinding light. Although no one could see, Kame's voice was loud enough to hear. "This is a great moment…Smaug has been destroyed!"
Gandalf turned to him. "How do you know? How can you tell?"
"There are prophecies of old that say when the great terrible dragon of Middle Earth is killed, Higher Earth shall open up and be flooded with the light of celebration."
Radditz stopped and let the ball just fade out. He seemed almost in a trance and Vegita moved forward to attack him while he was just standing there. But Gandalf stopped him when Radditz started to say something. "Smaug is…dead?" he asked almost dumbly.
Suddenly the light shown brighter around Winter's body, and when it faded away she was fully healed. Radditz fell down again and kneeled by her body, holding her in his arms. Her eyes opened and she smiled at him as he did to her. She nodded and said in a weak voice, "Freedom... and life have returned. And with it so have I."
Vegita turned to look at Kame. "So what? What does Smaug have to do with anything?"
Winter slowly stood up and leaned with one arm around Radditz. "It is very hard to explain. Smaug used us to take over planets by creating a ki link in our souls. He controlled us…but now, we are free."
Radditz embraced her, gently stroking her long hair. "Free to start over and live the way we want, not the way we are told to be."
Winter came up and held her hand out to Kame. "If there is anything we can do to repay you…please name it."
As he shook hands with her, Kame smiled. "We could use your extremely high fighting powers. It could help protect our TriEarth and you could become Guardians on our Council. I'm sure we have some room for you."
Radditz smiled a bit. "That sounds like a job I think I could enjoy."
As the two talked about the arrangements of the new job, Gandalf walked up to Kame. "My time here is done. I have much business to settle in Middle Earth, especially with the death of Smaug. If I may borrow your Kintoun, I will be on my way."
Kame turned to Gandalf. "Thank you, my friend. We could not have done this without you. May your ki stay strong and bright wherever you may fare, Gandalf."
A few moments later, Gandalf waved one more farewell and flew off on the Kintoun. Combining their ki, Kame, Vegita, and the two new Guardians began to fly back to the Outpost. Vegita turned to Kame as they flew. "This kind of ending makes me sick…good guys win, bad guys learn lesson, yadda yadda. Barely any action at all. We don't get anything out of the deal…what a waste. What's the point?"
Kame glanced over at Radditz and Winter, who now flew happily side by side, their hands locked together. He smiled back at Vegita again and remarked sarcastically, "Perhaps I'll tell you when I think it's worth taking my time to explain."
Vegita just crossed his arms again and flew onward. "Hmph, the sooner I get back the better… all this deep feeling is making my stomach turn."