Hey you!
Are you ready for Slave Soldier 3?
This chapter takes place right after Gohan and Tobney defeated Vegeta. As the last chapter of the previous story was a little rushed, I figured the story and you guys deserve a more extended description of what happens during the months between the battle for power and the landing on planet Earth.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Dbz characters or the Dbz world. I do own a couple characters I created myself ;)
Chapter 1. Tying up loose ends
"Get out."
Vegeta frowned at Tobney. "I beg your pardon? These are my quarters." The saiyan prince had his arms crossed over each other as a defensive gesture while he stood in his spacious living quarters.
"Not anymore." Tobney wiggled his finger. "This is my ship now. You can relocate to the detention center."
The ship was moving away from planet Yuna. On this planet, Gohan and Tobney challenged Vegeta for the control over his entire army. Gohan won the battle and he almost killed Vegeta but he decided to spare his former master. Now, after allowing everyone to get cleaned up and fed, Tobney decided to start renovating the army. And he was going to start by throwing the trash where it belonged.
"If you think I'm going to listen to you, you're sadly mistaken." Vegeta snarled in response. "Gohan defeated me. You were just along for the ride and now you think you are in charge of an army you didn't even deserve to lead in the first place."
"Alright." Tobney looked over his shoulder to the members of the Suta Team. "Evict him." He ordered. "Destroy everything valuable and bring Vegeta to the detention center."
The members of the Suta Team gave Tobney defiant glances. Suno's blue eyes were lowered to the ground as he awkwardly rubbed one gray hand over his other arm. Itoro had his light-blue arms crossed over each other while his black eyes stared back at Tobney. Kaon had his dark-brown hands curled in fists as they rested on his hips. The man was not necessarily looking defiant but there was an amused glint in his light-blue eyes. Gohan gave a worried glance at the rest of the warriors. Tobney asked him to come along just in case there was going to be trouble and, apparently, there would be. Gohan's glance went to Comora. The tall warrior didn't seem particularly worried.
Tobney frowned as he turned to them fully. "What is going on here? I gave you an order."
"Why should we listen to you?" Kaon responded. Tobney widened his eyes as his heartbeat sped up. "It's just like Vegeta said; you didn't defeat him. We have no reason to obey your orders."
"I am in charge of this army now." Tobney said in a calm voice. Gohan almost let out a sigh of relief. Tobney had to stay calm now. If he got angry he would only prove them right. "I don't care who won the battle. I am the leader and you are to obey my orders."
"We are to do nothing." Itoro returned easily. "Especially not listen to a little brat."
Gohan decided to step in here. "Vegeta, you know what happened. Tobney and I worked together in order to defeat you. I never would have won the match without Tobney and Sianna. You're just being a jerk about it. Now follow us and we'll take you to the detention center."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Fine." He stated. The man gave a brief glance to Tobney. "As I said, I will listen to you." He added the comment for good measure before he motioned for Gohan to lead the way.
The half-saiyan realized what his comrades were doing. They refused to listen to Tobney in order to torture him. Meanwhile, they could easily make Gohan miserable by doing the exact opposite. Gohan would feel bad for his best friend and, in a way, it would force Gohan to stay where he was as he could not go back to planet earth if Tobney could not control the army without him.
"I'll take him." Gohan stated when he noticed the others were following him. "Practice on your loyalty to your comrades." He said as he glanced to the Suta Team. The warriors all showed unimpressed glances in response to his comment.
Vegeta couldn't help but smile as he followed the half-saiyan. It was obvious that Gohan wanted to speak to Vegeta alone. That's why he told the others to stay behind. The warrior waited patiently for a bit while they walked. "Well, say what you have to say." He said once his patience was done for.
Gohan clenched his fists. "Fine." He stated as the one and only warning before he turned on Vegeta and grabbed the man by the bands of his armour. Vegeta widened his eyes in response but before he could do anything else, his former slave already pushed him against the white wall. Gohan frowned as he powered up, pushing Vegeta against the wall with just his energy.
Vegeta recovered somewhat. "Aggressive, are we?" He stated quietly. The man groaned when Gohan's power grew, pushing against his body until it actually felt painful.
"I'm going to tell you this once and once only." Gohan stated. "Stop messing with Tobney right now. He is in charge. He is the new leader of the army and you are nothing more than an obnoxious nuisance." Vegeta tried to push him away so Gohan pushed against him once more. The half-saiyan changed his tactic and pushed his lower arm against Vegeta's throat. "Give me a reason, Vegeta, and I will do it." He applied pressure when Vegeta's hand started to gather energy. "I just need a second and you're dead." He allowed just enough room for Vegeta to breathe but the pressure must have been quite uncomfortable for the Saiyan prince.
Vegeta was silent now. Not because of the pain Gohan was inflicting on him, but because of the look in Gohan's eyes. It was a dangerous gleam that showed Gohan was not bluffing. He was not bluffing at all.
"Don't forget." Gohan stated clearly. "You are alive because I let you live." Vegeta's gaze hardened but Gohan continued calmly: "I am the reason you are still here and not in hell. Don't you ever forget that!" The half-saiyan held Vegeta's gaze for a moment. "So, you will obey Tobney and me from now on. Do you understand me?"
Vegeta resisted for a moment, frowning at the youngster. "Fine." He spat after a moment. "I understand."
"Good." Gohan stepped back to let Vegeta recover from his assault. "Now follow me." He ordered before he started walking again. Vegeta somewhat hesitantly followed the youngster.
The Saiyan prince was silent as he followed the younger warrior. He studied Gohan, his eyes moving from the half-saiyan's stature to the youngster's tail. The man noticed the gentle movement in Gohan's tail. "You must have been dying to do that for years." He commented after a while.
Gohan, who was actually trying not to smile, now allowed the grin to appear on his face as he looked to his former master. "You have no idea."
Vegeta was actually quite meek after Gohan warned him. The half-saiyan had no trouble locking him up in one of the cells in the detention center. The cells had a toilet and mattress and nothing more. No windows, no room for air. Only a bright light that would turn off at set times. The cells were all made of glass and therefore gave the prisoners no privacy. This was mainly because they were not actually supposed to be used for long periods of time. The army didn't exactly take prisoners or hostages. Any prisoners would be killed within a couple of days.
Gohan decided to go looking for his best friend after this. He found Tobney in the control room. Gohan approached Tobney. "Where are the others?" He asked, wondering why Tobney let them go so easily.
"They just walked away after you left." Tobney stated. "They ignored my orders and just walked away." The young warrior was leaning on the control panel with his pale hands, staring down at the numerous buttons.
Gohan placed a hand on his forehead. Why was this going so incredibly wrong? Tobney turned to his best friend. "I don't know how to do this, Gohan. I expected them to be difficult but I didn't expect that they would blatantly defy me."
"We'll work through this." Gohan responded. "We have a couple of months before we reach planet Earth. We can use that time to make sure they know who's in charge."
"What if that's not enough time?" Tobney returned. The young warrior looked to his best friend.
"It will be enough."
"But what if it's not?" Tobney persisted. "You can't leave me with an army that is not under my control. Why don't you stay for a year or two? Maybe leading the army will be more fun that you expected." Gohan opened his mouth to respond but Tobney stopped him. "Just think about it. That's all I'm asking."
"Fine. I'll consider it." Gohan responded. The young warrior returned the smile he received from his best friend after this. The smile disappeared once Tobney looked away though. Gohan blew out a sigh. How was he going to do this?
A few hours later, Sianna was sitting at a table with the rest of the Suta Team. The female warrior showed a determined expression as she nodded. "I will do anything."
"Anything?" Itoro tilted his head sideways as a smile appeared on his face.
Gohan rolled his eyes. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Itoro."
Itoro laughed. "It's the kind of gutter all men are in when it comes to women, Gohan, and don't you deny it."
Sianna decided to step in. "You know what I mean. I am willing to train for hours and hours until you guys think I'm good enough to join your team." Her golden eyes sparkled as she considered earning a place in the strongest, most prestigious team in the entire universe. It was something she had always hoped for.
Gohan studied his best friend and he noticed how happy she was to join the Suta Team. Was he really going to take that away from her? Was she really planning on joining him when he would leave for planet Earth? Or was she, just like Tobney, expecting him to stay with them?
"It will be tough." Comora stated in response. He studied the female in front of him. Her brown hair was still quite short since Vegeta cut it all off several months ago. However, it suited her. She looked fiercer now. It had been a while since she wore a wig too. Maybe she was warming up to the look. He definitely was.
"I'm counting on it." Sianna nodded. She knew how tough it was going to be. She had a long way to go if she ever wanted to be as good as the rest of the squad. But it was not impossible. She was ready to prove that she could do it.
"And there will be a test." Suno added.
"A test?" Sianna asked as she frowned. That was the first she heard of this.
"It will be a difficult test." Itoro said, nodding.
"Very difficult. Gohan and Tobney nearly failed." Kaon added in a very serious tone. Sianna couldn't decide whether he was joking or not.
Sianna's gaze moved to Gohan. The half-saiyan shrugged in response to her silent question. He wasn't too worried. He knew what the test entailed and he was sure the rest of the group would go easy on her. He definitely would.
"What is it?"
Grins were sent in her direction after she asked this question. "You will find out very soon." Suno said before he pushed his body up into a standing position.
"When you least expect it." Itoro added for good measure. "Be ready." Itoro, Kaon and Suno turned to walk away. Comora was about to follow them when he noticed Tobney was beckoning him.
Sianna got up too and she gave Gohan a glance. "They're kidding, right?" She asked. Gohan shook his head. "They're not? There really is a test? What is it?"
Gohan showed an innocent smile. "I'm not going to give anything away. It's all part of the initiation." He responded. "Just hope that they like you enough to not let you sweat for too long."
Meanwhile, Tobney led Comora away from the rest. There Tobney turned to his former squad leader. "I need your help." He stated. Comora didn't seem surprised by this statement but he didn't comment on it either. "I need you to teach me how to be a leader."
"That's not something you can learn. It's in you or not." Comora responded. "For real leaders, it comes natural. Gohan, for example, is one of those natural leaders. People flock to him. I don't think I can say the same of you."
"You don't think I can do it?"
"I'm pretty sure you're not cut out for it." Comora gave Tobney a stern glance. "Your best chance is to keep Gohan around and allow him to tame the men for you." His glance moved to the half-saiyan. Gohan was still talking to Sianna. She was trying to get more information about the initiation out of him but the half-saiyan was not giving in.
Tobney followed Comora's gaze. The young warrior watched for a moment as Gohan laughed at something Sianna said. Sianna followed his example. The two looked so happy together it caused envy in pretty much anyone who surveyed them, including Comora and Tobney.
Tobney frowned while he felt some form of resilience taking over his system. He hated that Vegeta was still mocking him. He loathed that the members of the Suta Team refused to listen to him. He was annoyed with Comora for not believing in him. And finally, just a little bit, he felt a tinge of jealousy towards Gohan for apparently being a born leader.
However, Gohan suddenly looked sideways and met Tobney's gaze. The half-saiyan showed a smile to his best friend and Tobney realized being jealous was stupid. No, he would have to take his best friend as an example. He was not going to give up.
Tobney looked back to Comora. "You're wrong. And I will prove it to you." He said before he turned and headed for the doorway.
Gohan watched Tobney walk away. The half-saiyan quickly approached Comora. "What did you say?" He asked, mistaking Tobney's determination for anger.
"Something he needed to hear." Comora stretched out his arms and yawned broadly. After this he looked at Gohan and noticed the confused glance he was receiving. "I can still read every single one of you easily. Oh, the power I have." He said cheerfully before he started for the doorway. "Come and train with me, you two."
Gohan was even more confused but he disregarded this feeling and gestured for Sianna to follow them. Sianna was definitely in for some training. Any practice she could get, she would take.
That evening Gohan was curled up in his bed with Sianna by his side. The young female warrior smiled as she snuggled against him. "You did it, Gohan. I can't believe that you did it."
"We did it." Gohan responded. "I couldn't have defeated Vegeta without you two." Especially since Sianna was the main reason that he found his courage to challenge his former master. Sianna made him realized what was really important. Her courage showed him that bravery entailed more than just staying alive against all odds but that it also meant that he had to fight for his loved ones. And that is what he did. And he won.
"What do you think is going to happen now?" Sianna asked, glancing up at him. Her head was resting on his naked chest. This was their first night as a normal couple. They were both free now. Sianna was no longer a slave. Gohan was no longer a soldier. They celebrated their first night as a real couple.
And they were snuggling.
Gohan didn't mind. He liked hugging his girlfriend. He loved generally being near her. He just also really enjoyed doing more interactive physical activities with Sianna. And he was somewhat hoping the cuddling would progress to a more fun stage.
"I'm not sure." Gohan shifted slightly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm afraid the members of the Suta Team won't allow Tobney to take charge so easily."
"Yes, you told me about what happened today." Sianna frowned thoughtfully. "Are you going to help him?"
"I guess I have to." Gohan was thinking out loud more than he was actually replying to Sianna's question. He realized the look he was receiving from her and he shrugged. "I want to help him. But I'm afraid this will delay the journey to planet earth. I can't leave when Tobney is still struggling to take control of the army."
Sianna seemed to understand. "I wouldn't worry too much. The trip to planet earth will take a couple of months so you'll have plenty of time to help Tobney. Still, he'll have to do most of the work himself. He cannot depend on you since that wouldn't really make him a fit leader in the first place."
"Hmmm…" Gohan agreed with her. This knowledge didn't lessen his worries though. The young warrior noticed that Sianna's hand was gently following a scar on his stomach. Her touch made a shiver run through his body. Gohan closed his eyes, enjoying the tingle her touch instigated.
It was after a few minutes that Sianna looked up. "Isn't it strange that we don't have to do anything?" She asked before she noticed that Gohan's eyes were closed. "Gohan?" She asked. The steady breathing of the half-saiyan indicated that he was asleep. Sianna allowed a smile to appear on her face. She realized that Gohan was only seventeen years old and he'd just been through one hell of a day. The exhaustion was oozing off of him. Poor thing.
Sianna leaned over to press a kiss on his forehead. After this she pulled up the sheets so that they were both covered. Yawning broadly, Sianna curled up against her boyfriend and closed her eyes. She may as well get some sleep too.
The following morning, Gohan realized how much everything was going to change from now on. First of all, he was not woken up by an alarm clock but he was allowed to wake up all naturally. Secondly, he had absolutely nothing scheduled for the day. He was free to do whatever he wanted. He didn't have to report to anyone or do any work. Nothing. It made him feel quite uncomfortable.
Sianna had the same feeling and so they decided to distract each other by making love to each other. It was the first time they could stay together for hours without being interrupted or having to hurry. They had all the time in the world and they were definitely going to take advantage of that.
However, as they started to get quite hungry after a while, the couple decided to head out into the common room to get something to eat. Bulma greeted them with the proper amount of grinning and winking but the two warriors were used to this kind of treatment. They were immune to it by now.
"Celebrating the victory properly, were you?" Bulma stated as she watched them sit down at the kitchen-island.
"As we should be." Gohan responded. "So, what about you? I know I can't wait to get back to planet earth. You must be excited too." He reached over to grab some coffee while Sianna returned with two cups. The half-saiyan poured the coffee for both of them.
"I can't wait." Bulma grinned back at the two youngsters. "I hope the journey won't take long."
"I agree." Gohan nodded once. Sianna's smile shrunk a little bit as she watched Gohan talk about his beloved planet. "I can't wait to breathe in fresh air again. And look at the sunset and dive in the water. Ah man, it's going to be amazing." He locked an arm around Sianna's shoulders. "You're going to love planet earth."
Sianna forced a smile. "I know I will." She responded. The smile disappeared when Gohan looked away but the half-saiyan was too preoccupied with the memories of his planet to notice.
Sianna's test was planned to take place several days later. Gohan was not eager for the test to happen. At first, he wasn't worried but as the days proceeded he started to worry more and more. What if the guys would hit her too hard? What if something went terribly wrong? The test was dangerous. Anything could go wrong and she could end up terribly injured.
On the day of the test, Gohan approached the group of warriors. He was not ready for this. "Guys, I have a request." He stated. The warriors gave him their undivided attention and Gohan had to swallow for a moment to expel his hesitance. "Could you… go easy on her?"
Tobney raised both his eyebrows. That was asking for trouble. Suno couldn't help but grin. "Of course we will go easy on her." He stated as he stepped closer and threw an arm around Gohan's shoulders. "We know exactly how much she means to you and we would absolutely hate to indirectly make you suffer."
"Exactly, it's not like we have a beef with you." Itoro added cheerfully. The man stepped closer as well to take his position on Gohan's other side and placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "It's not like you recently screwed us over." The man tightened his grip on Gohan's shoulder a little too much.
"Guys…." Gohan tried to say something but Kaon interrupted him.
"Don't worry, rookie. Any teeth we knock out can be replaced by fake ones." Kaon said cheerfully. The man pushed a black stick in Gohan's hands. "You'll get to hand out the last punch, lucky bastard."
Suno and Itoro laughed while they smacked Gohan on his back before they released him. The three warriors seemed cheerful as they walked away. Gohan scoffed in response to their treatment of him before he gave Tobney a glance.
"Don't worry. They're just messing with you." Tobney said in response. He was leaning on his black bat with his hand. "You know what they're like."
"Yeah… That's why I am so worried." Gohan muttered.
Sianna entered the large training room. The young woman looked up when Gohan approached her. "Sianna." He said quietly. "Just keep going. Do not fall down. Do not stop for even a second. They will target your legs and you must not…."
"Alright, rookie." Itoro and Suno appeared on either side of him and they latched onto his arms in order to pull him away from the female warrior. "You know you're not allowed to give her pointers." Suno said strictly. "Get in your position."
The two warriors pushed and pulled him until he was standing behind Tobney. The half-saiyan growled when they gave him one last push and he stumbled forwards. "Fine." He snarled when he noticed the two were prepared and eager to keep pushing him back. The half-saiyan tapped on the ground with his stick while giving a disapproving glance to his comrades.
Tobney couldn't help but smile at their antics. "At least I'm not the last in the line." He said this in order to get Gohan's attention. And it worked.
The half-saiyan glanced towards him. "I wasn't even worried about that. Comora told me we are positioned according to our seniority and I was the last one to undergo this charade."
"Charade, you say?" Tobney grinned. "Aren't you a little biased against it since, as I recall, I knocked you down when you tried to complete the trial." The young warrior made a swiping motion with his bat and sent Gohan a smug glance.
"Hmmm, it was a lucky shot." Gohan returned.
"Keep telling yourself that." Tobney shot back easily.
Gohan opened his mouth to respond but Comora called for them to get in position. Gohan obeyed and he stood with the bat in his hands. The youngster briefly recalled his own initiation. It was actually a couple of years after he joined the Suta Team. Officially, a new member had to complete the trial before he or she could join the team. Gohan, however, joined the team unwillingly. Therefore he was not necessarily obligated to undergo this trial. Two years after he joined the team he asked if he could follow the normal initiation procedures and Comora agreed.
The trial was brief as the Suta Team was still a small team. They didn't take it too seriously. They would form two files standing opposite each other with a small gangway between them. The aspiring member would have to run through the passage while the other members tried to knock him or her down. Gohan actually managed to get quite far during his initiation. That was until Kaon tried to knock his feet from under him. Gohan remember jumping in the air, summersaulting forwards and jumping up again. That was when Tobney anticipated his movements and managed to knock the bat right against his chest. Gohan was knocked backwards and fell flat on the ground. He had to be quick in order to avoid getting beaten and he rolled sideways to avoid getting hit by Suno. He remembered using his hands to push his body up, jumping once again and making a beeline for his best friend, knocking right into Tobney and so finishing his trial. Tobney would never allow him to forget that he managed to knock his best friend down.
"Alright, Sianna." Comora stated. "You know what you have to do." The young woman nodded once as she gave a determined glance to the warriors in front of her. "Whenever you're ready."
Sianna closed her eyes to focus and calm down her nerves. After that she took a deep breath before she started running. The young woman reached Comora first. The squad leader swung his stick downwards, trying to knock her over her head. She sidestepped this first attack. This brought her dangerously close to Suno's bat, which nearly knocked into her but she managed to jumped over it. She landed just in time to dive under Itoro's attack.
Landing on her hands, she made a handstand and pushed off from the ground to avoid getting hit by Kaon. She landed on her feet and widened her eyes when Tobney's attack came rushing at her face. Sianna bent her body backwards to avoid this punch. She almost fell backwards entirely and only just managed to place her hands on the ground and push off. Two whooshes made her realize she just about dodged two attacks from behind. She ran forwards, right into Gohan's attack. The half-saiyan regretted his straight-forward swing when he realized Sianna was not going to be able to block it.
Sianna felt fearful for a moment as she realized she was not going to dodge this one. At the last moment, Sianna placed her hands on the stick in order to jump over it. Tightening her grip, she used the bat as leverage to pull her body up and swing her legs over it. She almost knocked her leg against Gohan's head in the process but the half-saiyan managed to avoid getting hit.
Sianna landed on the ground and whirled around to face any upcoming attacks but there was nothing. She was only greeted by five warriors who came over to congratulate her. Comora was already carrying several beers and handed each warrior one can.
"A toast!" Comora yelled. "To the best completed trial in the history of the Suta Team!"
"Really?" Sianna asked, wide eyed.
"Oh yes, you're the very first one to not actually get hit by at least one bat." Suno said, nodding. "That has never happened before."
"We welcome you, Sianna, to our ranks." Comora stated in an official voice. "I hope you're ready and eager because this is probably going to be one of the hardest years of your life."
Sianna grinned as she held up her beer. "I am ready and eager. I'll be the best rookie you've ever had."
"Hear hear!" Suno added.
"We'll hold you to that!" Itoro agreed.
Gohan grinned proudly as he surveyed his girlfriend. He couldn't remember why he had been so worried. Granted, the other members hadn't put in as much strength as they did when they confronted Gohan but that was mainly because Sianna was not as strong as Gohan was back then. The party moved to the Suta Team's common room. Sianna was hauled up by Suno and Kaon and they carried her high up in the air, shouting and celebrating as they walked. Sianna was having the time of her life as she partied along with them, pounding her fist up in the air and laughing loudly.
Gohan and Tobney followed the parade meekly. Gohan sipped from his beer. "I noticed that the ship is not travelling to planet earth just yet." He stated. "We're actually moving away from the Northern Quatrain."
"You do notice everything, don't you?" Tobney responded. The young warrior kept his eyes on the parade in front of them, avoiding Gohan's eyes.
"I thought you said we would leave for planet Earth right away. And I would help you to gain control of the situation here while we are travelling." Gohan stated, lowering his voice since he didn't want to be overheard by the rest of the group.
"No, I said it would take months for us to get to the planet. And we're on course. We just need to decide the best route to follow." Tobney said patiently.
"I can help you with that." Gohan persisted. "We've travelled to planet Earth before. It cannot be that difficult."
"Gohan." Tobney placed a hand on his shoulder. The two warriors stopped walking. "Don't worry about it. You're free now. You can just sit back, relax and allow us to bring you back to planet earth. What's your rush?"
Gohan gave his best friend a worried glance. "You're not planning on allowing me to go back to planet earth at all, are you?" He asked.
Tobney returned an annoyed glance. "Of course I am. These things just take time. You know how it goes. Now, stop whining, you're ruining the celebrations." He gently tousled Gohan's dark hair before he started running to catch up with their comrades.
Gohan watched his friend run to the others. He blew out a sigh. This conversation only increased his fears that Tobney was not planning on bringing him back to planet earth. He knew his best friend didn't like the fact that Gohan wanted to leave the army. And Gohan knew that Tobney drew strength from his best friend's presence just as Gohan did the other way around. What if Tobney didn't want to go without the soothing presence of his best friend? What if Tobney actually meant to keep Gohan on the ship? The half-saiyan realized that this could very much be a possibility. He generally had nowhere to go and if he tried to steal a smaller ship, the sheer speed of the mothership would run him down easily.
Gohan shook his head to clear his mind of these negative thoughts. He would just have to trust his best friend to put Gohan's desires above his own. The young warrior caught up with the rest of the warriors and he forced a smile onto his face when Sianna ran up to him and hugged him. For now, he would play along and do his duty as a best friend for Tobney.
But this conversation was definitely not over yet.
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
I hope you like the chapter. Please review and let me know what you think!
