Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT. All DBZ or DBGT characters mentioned are all owned by TOEI ANIMATION and licensed by FUNimation Productions. All original characters are owned by me. This story is non-profit and created for DBZ fans.
Part 2:
The Conflict
*Estimated Time of Arrival... 4 minutes.*
"Huh?" Kageto asked as he yawned. "Where am I?" A stiff neck and his surroundings reminded him of all the events that happened recently which caused a mix of feelings to arise inside him. He was angry at the injustice served upon him and sad for having lost his pride among his race by being banned from the very planet he called home. The only one he considered worth missing was the Tuffle who took him under his wing; Dr. Raichi. If he hadn't met him that day at the City, he would have been groomed to become a mindless warrior just like the rest of the Saiyans.
*Entering planet's orbit... Brace for impact.*
"Well, this is it," he thought. "I need to leave my past behind and start living my own life."
Armed with Raichi's knowledge, Kageto was ready to face life itself and carve his own path through history. Little did he know, it was not going to be easy.
Meanwhile inside the Kanassan Royal Palace...
"Your Majesty," a Kanassan announced as he approached the throne.
"What is it, Commander Toolo?" the Kanassan King asked.
"An alien space pod has just entered our orbit. We believe it's hostile. We haven't gotten any visions of its arrival so we have no intel. It appears to be the same design as the space pods who will bring forth our extinction in five years."
"Well, I suggest you make haste and intercept it then. You may be my friend, but you are kind of slow when it comes to thinking. You shouldn't have even come to me to ask for my opinion. You are in a position to make your own decisions."
"I'm sorry, sir. I will assemble my team, and we'll make sure to bring you back a prisoner."
"That's more like it. You are dismissed, Toolo."
The commander named Toolo rushed out of the throne room to search for his crew. He knew exactly where to find them. As soon as he did, he was barking orders left and right.
"The space pod landed near Future Mountain. We must move in quietly. We have absolutely no intel of the enemy. I want each of you to pair up and watch each other's back. As soon as we get there, all of us must divide and conquer. Surrounding him is our best hope of victory. Did I make myself clear, men?"
"Yes, sir!" they said unanimously.
"Good. Let's move out. We must get there before he gets the chance to mobilize."
A group of eight soldiers shot up the sky and made their way to their destination. As soon as they arrived, the carried out their plan and split up to surround the large crater. Meanwhile, Kageto was having his own problems. In mid-crash the pod leaned forward causing it to land on its front. A huge crack spread on the red glass in front of him. On top of that, the door mechanism was jammed and the carbon dioxide filter was disabled due to the impact. He was rapidly losing oxygen inside the small space.
"Urgh," he thought. "If I was taller than the diameter of this ship, I could pry it open by pushing all my weight up. Why is this happening to me? HELP! Can anyone hear me? HELP! I'm stuck!"
Toolo and his crew had the crater surrounded and were waiting for any slight movement coming from the dark hole beneath them. All they could see was a large round white pod.
"Standby, men," Toolo ordered. He was peering intently at the pod daring it to open up so they could attack. Minutes passed and there was still no movement.
"Do you hear that?" one of the soldiers remarked.
"Hear what?" another asked.
"That!" the one replied. "Sounds like someone's screaming. It's faint but I can hear it."
"You think he escaped and is already terrorizing one of our villages?" another asked.
"No, otherwise we would have sensed it or at least gotten a vision."
"What's this chatter I hear, men?" Toolo asked sternly. "This is no time for social activity. Be on your guards."
"Sir," the first soldier reported. "I hear a faint scream coming from inside the crater."
The second soldier scoffed. "Don't listen to him, sir. He's probably hearing things."
"Shut up all of you! No offense but I need complete silence," Toolo ordered. He closed his eyes and focused on a distant sound. Suddenly he could hear it clearly. "It's coming from the ship! Get in there and force that thing open!"
"But sir... What if it would attack us when he gets out?"
"What makes more sense, a living prisoner or a dead prisoner? Get going now!"
Moments later, the soldiers under Toolo's command fished out the damaged space pod and dropped it on even ground. The largest of their group proceeded to pry it open with bulging muscles. All of them surrounded the pod curious to see what was inside it. They found an unconscious teenager with a scraped arm and a bruised neck.
"Get him out of there and carry him back to the Royal Palace. Take him to the Healing Wing and make sure he's secured to the bed before he wakes up."
"Yes, sir!" they replied in unison as they flew off to carry out this task.
"Hmm," Toolo thought. "What the hell is going on here?"
Meanwhile at Planet Plant...
"Where is he?!" Vegeta screamed as he was holding up one of the scientists by his coat. "Screw it! I'll find him myself!" He tossed the scientist aside and proceeded to storm out of the Recovery Room.
"C-calm down, sir. Allow me to check your condition before you leave." The request did not reach its target because Vegeta was already gone. Furiously marching the halls of the castle, he was thinking back about the fight with his brother. He admited to himself that for a moment he was afraid he would lose the match. He underestimated his brother and that was something he shouldn't have done... It could have cost him his title.
"Stop right there!" one of the guards ordered. They saw the pointy haired Saiyan rushing furiously from a mile away. It spoke for itself that they couldn't allow a hothead like him enter the throne room.
Vegeta snapped back to reality and realized he stopped moving. Apparently his subconscious heard the order and automatically stopped him.
"What is the meaning of this?" Vegeta asked with his slowly rising temper. "Let me through at once! I am here to see the Tuffle King."
"I'm afraid you need to calm down," the guard said. "We can't allow a fighter like you with a short temper enter the throne room. That spells assassination in so many languages. Either you calm down or get going."
Vegeta took a deep breath and showed the most neutral face he could muster. "Is this good enough for you?" he asked.
The first guard whispered something in the other's ear and, moments later, the second guard entered the throne room and closed the door behind him. He approached the King and lowered his head in respect. "My King, Vegeta is here to see you. Do you wish to speak with him?"
The King sighed. "Let him in," he said clearly annoyed.
The guard returned and opened the doors. He whispered in his colleague's ear and they stepped aside. Vegeta stormed on and halted right in front of the throne.
"Where is he?!" he demanded. "Where the hell is he?!"
"Vegeta," the Tuffle King began in a calm, but threatening, tone. "You know it's very impolite to just barge in and start screaming like you're doing now. First of all you must bow before me and ask for permission to speak. I will let that pass for now. Secondly, I need you to calm down and repeat your request. If you manage to do that, we can have a pleasant conversation."
Vegeta's rage was boiling inside of him but he managed to gather every single bit of self-control left in him to fix his posture and look calm. "I request to know the whereabouts of my brother."
"Much better, Vegeta," the King said amused. "Always remember your place. You might be the Leader of Saiyans, but you are all still guests here on our planet. We helped you when you showed up in those beat-up space pods. We gave you a home and provided you with all the advanced technology you can get your hands on. Now as for your request..."
The Tuffle King snapped his fingers and summoned a guard. He whispered something in his ear which caused him to rush out of the door next to the throne. Less than a minute later he returned with Dr. Raichi in tow.
"Any progress yet, Dr. Raichi?" the King asked.
"None yet, sir," Raichi responded while tapping on a portable tablet-like terminal he was carrying. "He must have been very smart to pull off a complete database format like that in such small amount of time. I'm trying to recover the departure data one sector at a time but it seems that every time I try to do so, I only make it worse."
"Who the hell has ever heard of a Saiyan with such knowledge?" the King remarked. "That's like mixing oil with water!"
All the Tuffles in the room started laughing. Vegeta remained with a solemn face plotting his revenge. "Once I find my brother, I'm going to make him wish he was never born."
"So basically I have no idea where he went and have no possible way of recovering the lost data," Raichi summarized.
"You're telling me he vanished in thin air?!" Vegeta asked furiously. "Why the hell don't you send scouts to track down his pod?!"
"Do you even know how long you've been unconscious, Vegeta?" the King asked coming to Raichi's defense. "You've been out cold for eight hours. Now that is embarrassing, especially for someone in your position. Do you have any idea how far he could have gone in the last eight hours? Do you?! I'm telling you there is no possible way you can ever find him again."
The King temporarily closed his eyes in frustration before continuing. "Also, you must stop flinging your weakness for everyone to see. You must stand up and act like a leader instead of getting your head smashed in by your younger brother. Your people are beginning to doubt your greatness. You must prove them wrong and rule with iron fists. Stop crying like a baby, declare your revenge, and man up. Get out of here and show your people who you really are."
With a simple hand gesture Vegeta was escorted outside by two guards. "Let me go! I can walk myself out," he protested. As soon as the palace gates closed behind him, he swore to take revenge on both his brother and the King of Tuffles. "I will kill them both someday... That'll teach them to mess with me." He glanced one last time at the palace before blasting off into the red horizon of Planet Plant.
Meanwhile at the Kanassan Royal Palace...
"Has the prisoner been captured?" the Kanassan King asked his loyal friend Toolo.
"Yes, Your Majesty. He's in the medical bay as we speak. We have him secured to the bed and will interrogate him as soon as he wakes up."
"Bring him to me when he does. I want to interrogate him myself."
"But sir! Aren't you concerned for your safety? What is he somehow breaks from our grasp and kills you?"
"Well, let's hope it doesn't happen."
"Sir!" a soldier shouted as he entered the room. "The prisoner is awake, sir!"
"Bring him in," the King and Toolo said in unison. They stared at each other for a second and laughed as old friends.
The soldier rushed out of the Throne Room and two minutes later he re-entered carrying a lightly sedated Saiyan along with two guards. All the eyes in the room were fixated on the alien who was now dropped on his knees in front of the King.
"Identify yourself, stranger!" the King ordered.
"I... I... huh?" was all Kageto could produce. He was seeing double and he had a searing headache.
"Uh, sir?" one of the soldiers remarked. "I believe he's still a little sedated."
"Well then, bring the antidote! Get him back to reality!" the King commanded.
"Yes, sir!" Moments later a Kanassan with a white coat entered the room and injected the hallucinating Saiyan with a medicine to counteract the sedative.
"W-what's going on?" Kageto asked bewildered as he came to his senses.
"I'm the one asking the questions here!" the King retorted. "Now, what is your business on this planet?"
"Well, that depends on which planet I landed on," Kageto replied with a grin.
"SILENCE!" Toolo yelled furiously as he aimed his glowing hand on the teenager. "You are in the presence of the King of Kanassa. If you reply with another smart-ass comment like that, I will terminate you where you stand."
"Uh, I'm not exactly standing here," Kageto replied yet again. This caused Toolo to almost pop a cap if it wasn't for the King stepping in.
"Stand down, Toolo. I'm the one doing the talking. I believe I can verbally defend myself."
Toolo growled as he shot a look of anger at the intruder. "You better watch it, kid," he grumbled as he proceeded to stand on the right side of the throne.
"Now, kid," the King continued, "what brings you to planet Kanassa? Are you working for Frieza?"
"Frieza?" Kageto asked confused. "Who is that? I have no idea who this Frieza is."
"Are you sure about that?" the King threatened. "As you might know, our race can read minds. I'm giving you one last chance of telling me the truth. I can find out if you're hiding something."
"I'm positive I don't know any Frieza, sir. I'm only here because I'm looking for a home. I was kicked off mine by an act of injustice. I came here because of some rumors I've heard about acquiring psychic powers and it seems that you just confirmed those."
"If you think you can just come here and acquire those psychic powers just like that, you are sadly mistaken. We don't appreciate strangers..."
A silence suddenly descended in the room. The King was staring straight at Kageto as if he was trying to drill a hole inside of his head with just his gaze. He was clearly having difficulty in doing so and a few grunts escaped from him as well. Toolo, sensing what his King was doing, proceeded to do the same. He was also staring intently at the prisoner but did not manage to obtain results. Both the King and Toolo gave up panting. The guards were watching bewildered at this turn of events.
"T-this is impossible!" the King remarked. "How can this be?"
"I-I sensed this as well, Your Majesty," Toolo added. "When we fished him out of his pod unconscious, I thought it was weird that I was unable to read his mind. It's as if he doesn't exist!"
"W-what's going on?" Kageto asked bewildered. "Did you guys just try to read my mind?"
"Release him right now," the King ordered the guards surrounding the prisoner. "It is vital that he gets treated like a guest and not a prisoner. Oh and someone bring me that old farmer whose name I can't seem to remember. What was his name again?"
"Thorak?" Toolo asked.
"Yes, that." the King replied. "Bring me Thorak at once! Show our guest to his room and leave him to rest. I need everyone out of the Throne Room at once!"
"Can anyone tell me what's going on?! What did you mean when you said you were unable to read my mind? What the hell is going on here?" Kageto asked as he was escorted out of the room. As soon as the doors closed, the King stood up to face his most loyal commander and friend.
"Do you think he is the subject of Thorak's vision?" the King asked.
"I don't know," Toolo replied concerned. "He seems to fit the description. Are you sure you couldn't enter his mind?"
"No matter how hard I tried, it was as if his mind wasn't even there. I was looking at him but it felt like it wouldn't have made any difference if he was kneeling there or not. It was like trying to read a rock or a lifeless object."
"What if it's a coincidence? All we know is that his mind is unreadable just like the individual in Thorak's vision. Do you really think that kid is or will become the vessel?"
"Nothing is certain, my friend. It is up for Thorak to decide. You do know the rule all Kanassans live by, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. It does not matter from who the vision comes. It is of no importance if a vision comes to royalty or poverty. It does not make it any less true."
"Exactly. Now, Thorak has been living off of me for thirty years. I've given him a residence outside of town where he can live undisturbed. The moment he finished telling me his vision, I knew it was important and had to be kept a secret. The three of us are the only ones who know about it. If he really is the vessel, it's a matter of time before he..."
"Sir!" a guard announced as he barged in. "The one you requested for has arrived."
"Good... Send him in."
The guard opened the doors and an old Kanassan walked in. He was leaning on a fragile stick that looked like it would break any second but for some strange reasons it didn't. He had the usual purple garments and a white breastplate.
"You have summoned me, Your Majesty?" Thorak asked with a strong, confident voice that seemed to contrast his appearance.
"Yes, Thorak, I have. I have reasons to believe that he has arrived."
"You are not toying with me?" Thorak asked. "You mean he's here? He, the subject of my thirty year old vision?"
"I believe so," the King responded. "If he is who we think he is, he should soon be claimed by Him. If that happens, we might finally get a chance to meet him, the one responsible for our existence!"
"What do you suggest we do, Your Majesty?" Thorak asked.
"The only thing we can do is wait. In the meantime I want you to keep an eye on him. Let him stay at your place and take care of him. If He arrives to claim him, you'll be the first to know."
"Agreed," Thorak replied with a small bow. "I will take it upon myself to watch him and perhaps train him. But there is one thing I still need to ask. Should we share our powers with the boy?"
"There is a rule that we don't share our powers with those who come seeking it... But I don't see why not," the King replied. "It's not like he's going to remember his old life after he gets claimed. I say give it to him to satisfy his curiosity. We must not allow him to leave the planet until then."
"Understood," Thorak said with another pitiful attempt of a bow. Being old has its downsides. "I'll have the boy transported immediately to my home. Toolo, can you help me with that?"
"Yes, of course," he replied. "You need help descending the stairs as well?"
"You are so thoughtful, but no, I don't need help with that. I'm still kicking, you know."
"I never got to ask you," the King began. "How old ARE you, Thorak? I know you lived way before I was born. You can't possibly be more than 150 years. That's the maximum age a Kanassan can reach."
"Heh heh heh," Thorak grinned. "All I can tell you is that I've been present for five generations." With that being said, Thorak disappeared out of the door.
"He's one strange old man, don't you think?" Toolo asked the King.
"Strange doesn't even begin to describe him. I believe he's hiding something... Something that should never be revealed to others of his kind. Why else would he meditate day and night to perfect his mindblock technique? I've sent spies to check upon him and that seems to be the only thing he does. I've sent the best mindreaders out there to try and read him but he seems to have the strongest mindblock on the planet. Not even I could get into his mind."
"Do you think the kid somehow learnt how to put set mindblock? Do you think that's the reason he's unreadable?"
"No, I don't think so. If he had a mindblock, we could have sensed a mind being blocked. With him I couldn't sense a thing. It was as if he had no mind, let alone a mindblock."
"Well, there goes that idea," Toolo sighed. He tried everything to explain this strange event but everything keeps coming back to the only reasonable explanation: Thorak's vision.
"I think we must acknowledge that he really is the Unreadable and destined to be possessed by Him."
"I'm just trying to find some other possible explanation for it. It's odd that he would just casually crash here out of all places. Why not one of the millions of planets in the galaxy. Why this one?"
"He DID say this was his destination. See? Problem solved! You think too far, Toolo. I can see your point even through your bad phrasing. Maybe he was destined to come here."
"Maybe you're right. Let's just hope everything goes smooth. I'll escort him to Thorak's place then. See you later, Your Majesty!"
The King let out another sigh. "What to do with you, Toolo. You know damn well you can address me by my name when we're alone, old friend."
"I know," Toolo replied with a grin. "I was just messing with you!"
The King shook his head in amusement as Toolo disappeared through the door. After the door closed behind him with a giant 'thud,' the King came to realize how lonely he was. "I have got to make more friends... Or a Queen. Yeah, that is definitely a priority!"
Location: Outside the Royal Palace of Kanassa...
"Where are we going?!" Kageto protested.
"We're taking you to your home," Toolo replied dryly. "As long as you stay on this planet, you will be staying there. Thorak, the old farmer, will be taking care of you."
"Why?! I don't need to be taken care of by an old turtle-headed guy!"
"Listen here, kid," Toolo said impatiently as he held him up by his robes. "You will stay there until we decide to let you go."
Toolo was caught off-guard by a right hook. He dropped the kid as he fell backwards. Before the guards could react, Kageto delivered them a flying kick to the face thus flooring them.
"STOP!" Toolo ordered. "Alright, I'll explain, just don't leave. We need you."
"You need me?" Kageto asked. "Why is that?"
"Just promise you won't leave the planet. We'll even share our powers with you."
"Well, even if I wanted to, I couldn't leave the planet. My space pod is defective. It needs repairing. But why do you need me?"
"We've received a vision thirty years ago of an individual whose mind we couldn't read. That individual is you. You play an important role in the future of the Kanassans. For the first time in history we will finally be able to meet the one in control of the universe. He has many names. Some call him Destiny, others call him Fate. He's the reason for our existence, for everyone's existence. You are the one who will draw him out."
"D-draw him out? What do you mean by that?"
"It's been foretold that he always desired to experience life itself but is unable to because everyone is connected to him. He wanted to possess someone to be able to live. Because he's controls the fate of every living being in the universe, he is unable to possess someone who is already under his control. Since everyone is under his control, he is unable to experience life itself. The future as you know it is written in stone. We can read the future like a book. You, on the other hand, we cannot read. That means you have no future or in other words, you don't have a destiny. That makes you the perfect vessel for Destiny. If he somehow finds out you exist, you must pray he doesn't find you otherwise you must kiss your life goodbye. Your mind, soul and body will become his. That is the reason we want you to stay. We want to meet Destiny and you're the only one who can make that happen."
"I-I... I don't want to lose my life! I don't care if it is for Destiny. I don't want to become some kind of zombie or prisoner in my own body while someone else controls me! I-I'm getting out of here!"
"First of all," Toolo said calmly. "Your space pod is wrecked, remember? Secondly, if you somehow fix it and leave, you won't acquire our psychic abilities. And lastly, you will not be safe from Destiny. He will find you wherever you go. I suggest you stay here and allow Thorak to do whatever he has planned for you."
"I refuse to be some kind of slave! Let me go at once!"
"Fine, have it your way," Toolo retorted with the same neutral tone as before. "Just so you know, Thorak's house is at the edge of the city. It's a farmhouse, you can't miss it."
"Hmph." Kageto glanced one last time at the commander before blasting off into the horizon. He didn't know where he was going and he didn't care. He just wanted to regain his sense of freedom instead of being just another piece in the plan of the Kanassans. He then remembered the remote for his space pod he had stored in his clothes. He grabbed it and followed the homing device back to his ship. He stared at it and sighed. Huge hand marks were still visible from where the Kanassan pried the hatch open.
"If I were to ever have a chance of fixing this, I would need some resources," he thought. "I would need to replace the shock glass and find a way to repair the hatch mechanism. It's highly unlikely that the carbon dioxide filter still works so that needs to be fixed as well. What a drag."
The Saiyan breathed out a defeated sigh. "I'm getting hungry as well. How the hell am I supposed to survive on this planet?"
Kageto glanced at the city in the horizon and sighed. He hated following orders. He despised how his father tried controlling his life. Now he had some aliens doing that for him. Soon a powerful entity will completely take over his life. Things were not turning out the way he expected. Right now that was the least of his concerns.
"Should I try finding this Thorak guy? I hope he has food."
As usual, a Saiyan's stomach always has the last word and of course the first priority. Kageto proceeded to find the farmhouse where he would hopefully be staying for an indefinite amount of time...
End of Part 2
End Notes: I hope you guys enjoyed Part 2 of this multi-chapter suspenseful adventure. I enjoy writing and exploring all the points I have planned. As much as I like revealing things, I need to have a balance of suspense and mystery. For example, I basically revealed too much in this chapter. I was saving the Destiny plot for next chapter. I mean, this is chapter 2! It's practically too soon to go into the deep stuff. As you probably noticed, I use the word 'Part' instead of 'Chapter'. I am a bit uncomfortable at using 'Chapter'. I mean, it's getting a bit too old, don't you think? It also gives the vibe that you're actually writing a book...which I'm not. Not yet.
I decided to dedicate a special section at the end of each chapter where new characters are introduced. Here it is:
Character Info:
NEW! Toolo: A Kannasan commander. He's been the friend of the Kanassan King since childhood. He is portrayed stricter than the King himself. He's the only one who is allowed to address the King by his real name but only in private. He is known in Dragon Ball Z history/canon as the last surviving Kanassan before being blasted into oblivion by Tora. Bardock received his psychic powers from him.
NEW! Thorak: An old Kanassan farmer who received a vision thirty years ago about an individual whose mind would be unreadable. That individual is the definition of free will which is what Destiny is after. He's been living secluded ever since and for some strange reason doesn't age. He's been around for as long as the King or Toolo can remember. He refuses to reveal his age which adds to his mysterious character. He seems to be hiding more that he's letting on. *SPOILER ALERT* Could it be that he's hiding the second part of the vision?
NEW! Destiny: He goes by many names but most agree that this is his true name. Destiny, the entity of Fate, is, according to legends, the
one in control of every living being's actions throughout the entire universe. Having always had the desire to experience life but never managed to fulfill it, he seeks out an individual who broke free from his control to possess and steal his life... At least, that's what they say. They also say that he's the one who created the Creator of the Universe but...we'll leave it at that for now.
UPDATED! Kageto: Arriving at Kanassa, he thought he could obtain those powers easily but he was mistaken. He fell into some kind of trap of Fate. He learns that he could be possessed by Destiny any moment and that his life and all his memories would count for nothing. Being armed with Raichi's knowledge is not enough to fix his ship. He also needs some resources to be able to fix it completely. With hardly any options left, he decided to play right into the Kanassans' hands. Thorak seems to be his only hope for survival.
UPDATED! Vegeta: Now swearing to take revenge on his brother and the Tuffle King, what will become of him? It's not like he's going to start a war between the Tuffles and the Saiyans or something, is he? Is he?! Find out soon in the next chapter (part) or The Road to Eternity.
Last but not least, I want to thank my beta reader FireStorm1991 for proofreading this chapter. I'm not someone who makes grammar errors but when it comes to typos, I leave plenty behind. I am not fond of depending on someone but it has to be done. No offense, Stormie :P. Till next time!
-K