Obligatory copyright disclaimer: Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z and relative characters are intellectual property of their respective owners. I'm using them without permission, but this is only a no-profit Fan fiction.
Author's notes: Thanks for the reviews! You made my day! *_*
Jewlbunny: Fortunately for Usagi, Makoto's quick thinking saved her. Now who will save her? ;)
AnonymousZGirl: As you guessed Goku (Kakaroth) has not been born yet. Rei's fate will be decided after all the individual chapters. ;)
Xipholynx: Your wish is granted! Here's Rei chapter ;)
Crystal: Here's the update ;)
Edit: My heartfelt thanks to Angel-Rias for Beta-reading the chapter!
Chapter 10: Rei
Since their awakening on Babke she was trying to ignore the small voice whispering softly in her head. 'Disgraced... Fallen... Corrupt... Unworthy...'
Being a Miko was more than a part-time job for her. She often told her friends of her ambitions as a career woman. However, lately she had been thinking more and more of taking the vows as a full-fledged Shinto priestess. But now...
She stopped in mid stride, shivering uncontrollably. "How can I think of that? With a million innocent lives on my conscience?" She asked herself, startling some random technicians walking in the passageway.
In Shinto, even the sole presence of death conjured Kegare; the uncleanliness, the defilement of the soul. Causing death was even worse. She, albeit unwillingly, caused thousands of deaths! Her defilement was beyond purification. The Saiyan spirit was clearly aligned strongly with Aramitama, the wild side of the soul. A side she always struggled to balance. Now there was no hope anymore.
Keeping in check her emotions she managed not to cry. She looked out of an open balcony, to the far away mountains circling the fortress city. She stepped slowly until reaching the edge of the structure. After several long minutes of silent meditation a thunderous boom shook the building distracting the girl and making her slip and fall down from the tall tower!
After an instant of panic she resigned herself, closing eyes longing for peace and relief. "It's the will of the Kami..." She whispered while swiftly falling to her death.
She never touched ground. "W-what the hell?" She said to herself after a full thirty seconds of fall. The tower she fell off wasn't so tall. She opened her eyes looking around.
She was effortlessly hovering in midair, ten meters away from the ground. Levitating. Flying! "H-how is it possible?"
The universe was clearly sending a message to her, an unworthy soul! She received the blessing from the air spirits, they saved her life! Hope burned bright in her heart for a moment, then a Saiyan flew near her shouting. "Hey, take your flying ass away from here, you idiot!"
She was hovering in front of the entrance of some building, from where numerous warriors were flying in and out. "Oh! All Saiyans can fly, I forgot that. I'm so stupid. Air spirits my...!" She cried out embittered by her foolishness.
Concentrating she managed to move slowly away, gently landing on the street floor. She was still confused. "I almost give myself to death, and... I learn to fly instead!" she face palmed in total embarrassment. The universe was having fun at her expense.
Thinking about it, her Saiyan instincts probably knew she never truly wanted to die. She remembered Maizen's words. Training, fighting and surviving. The Saiyan's way. "Even if it means bathing my body in blood and fighting death tooth and nail!" She clenched her hands hard.
"Yet I cannot excuse genocide or pointless war. I must stop this, in any way possible! But how?" She asked herself full of determination.
After landing she unknowingly walked away from the building, wandering the streets guided by her instincts. While thinking of a way to make amends for the death of the Babkians and stop the Saiyan's violence, she found herself in front of a great palace. A grand structure resembling a fairy tale's castle, with many towers and banners. Fierce guards protected the entrance.
Looking at the palace she was swiftly surrounded by a vision. The great towers slowly crumbling in flaming rubble. The banners strewn on the floor, soaked in the blood of the guards. Cries of pain and death everywhere. An immense dark shadow looming over the ruins was battling a lone gold light, while a rainbow of colors surrounded the city. Emotions of love and fear overwhelmed her. She started trembling. The vision reminded her of the fall of the Moon Kingdom!
Her predicament had not escaped the attention of a little Saiyan, just then leaving the palace. Vegeta, crown prince of the Saiyan Kingdom was going to his customary training session. This usually meant crushing an entire squad of elite warriors in a randomly chosen training center every morning. Doing this had two secondary effects besides honing his combat skills. First, all the warriors would train harder to survive his possible onslaught. Second, it would instill in them the fear of his power. Young Vegeta at eight years of age was already stronger than his father, and everyone knew it.
Looking at the young beautiful woman gazing at the palace in an obvious trance sparked the prince's curiosity.
"What is this worm doing in front of the palace?" One of his guards said. "Let me kill her, my prince!"
Vegeta scoffed at him. "She's clearly in trance. Look at your scouter, idiots!" They obeyed the prince's order, looking at the strange readings without understanding them.
"Her power is unstable. She goes between 300 and 3000. And her eyes are completely white. Do any of you find this normal? Bah! I'm surrounded by imbeciles!" He walked up near the girl, then levitating up to her face he slapped her lightly, to make her leave the trance.
In Rei's vision the light was shining silver, a brave effort against an onslaught of darkness. Than a sharp pain roused her, and the vision dissipated, leaving her shivering. "W-where... what? Hey you slapped me!" She barked at the young boy, thinking of slapping him back.
One of the guards grabbed her hands, while another threatened to slash her throat open. "Mind your language, trash! You are speaking to Prince Vegeta, heir to the Kingdom!"
'He must be Tarble's little brother!' she thought instantly recognizing the boy, so great was the resemblance. The gravity of her situation was immediately clear. She had to apologize at once.
"I humbly ask your forgiveness, your Highness! My mind was lost while experiencing a vision. I respectfully thank you for awakening me from the trance." She bowed her head, unable to move more than that due to the guards restraining hands.
"Vision? Are you a seer? Humph! Than tell me..." Started to say the prince, smirking.
"... Which of these two incompetent guards that are grabbing you I am going to kill now?" He finished with an evil grin.
The two guards instantly froze, disbelieving. "My prince, what are you saying?" One of them asked aghast. They knew him. He was fully capable of doing that on a whim.
Rei looked in the coal black eyes of the boy. She sensed loneliness, rage and anger, and a great, enormous pride. He was serious! "My visions are not like that! I cannot really control them without looking into a fire!" She desperately told him, trying to prevent a pointless death.
"You need fire? Easily done!" He said blasting a nearby tree. A huge fire blazed in the morning air.
The disgraced Miko flinched at the display of power. Yet her gaze was attracted by the flames. Again in trance she whispered. "The one on my left. You will aim for his heart."
The guard gasped in surprise, leaving her arms free. "M-my prince!" He shouted, only a split second before a bright ray killed him, bursting through his heart. His body slumped on the floor, unmoving.
"Correct! You really are a seer. Interesting! Come with me, my father will love to know of your power!" He walked back into the palace, without waiting for her. The second guard gulped loudly following him.
Rei looked at the poor man, whose death was ultimately her responsibility. Nonetheless, she already made up her mind about that. She clapped her hands in front of her, offering a simple prayer for his soul. Then she ran after the prince, the idea for a plan forming in her mind.
The castle was more impressive inside than on the outside. Enormous violet stone halls brightened by flaming braziers and full of black banners embroidered in red with the Saiyan Kingdom crest, something like three arrowheads over a bladed bow. In the throne room the King was speaking with two aliens wearing armor of the same type the Saiyans used.
"Lord Frieza insists, majesty! Planet Meat must be taken without destroying the defense platforms. The technology is of much interest for the Planetary Trade Organization." A tall alien, green skinned and handsome looking was talking to the King.
The other alien reminded Rei of the big cook Boboghia. He was taller and spikier however. He simply stood smirking at the King, to the latter disgust.
"We already wasted five platoons on that planet. We will send no more until the new attack plan is completed!" The King was clearly annoyed by the two aliens.
"I can sympathize with your losses, your Majesty. Still I have to remind you Lord Frieza's orders to obtain the Defense Ray Beam technology by the end of the year. I hope your plan will take this in consideration." The green alien smiled evilly, while bowing politely.
"Tell Lord Frieza he will have the tech well before then. Now go!" The King had enough of the two, and banished them with a grand gesture. They bowed a little, just a nod of their heads, and then walked away smirking.
"They are being disrespectful to the King! I can't believe it!" Rei whispered almost to herself. Actually she hoped for the prince to hear her.
"True! My father should have killed them on the spot. But they are too strong for him. Zarbon and Dodoria are second only to lord Frieza and the legendary Ginew squad... For now..." The prince replied grinding his teeth. "Now come with me woman!"
Rei meditated on the information she gained. So even the King had to bow to this 'Lord Frieza'. "He must be the leader of the PTO..." She thought following Prince Vegeta.
Walking up to the throne, the young prince was addressed by the King. "Junior! You have already returned from your morning training? How many of our warriors have you killed today?" He asked, not without some irritation.
Flinching at the 'Junior' mention, Prince Vegeta nonetheless managed to speak with a casual tone. "Only one Father. I have found something other of interest. This woman is a fire seer. She proved it to me seeing in the flames which guard I was about to kill and how. She was having a vision in front of the castle entrance." He waved to Rei, signaling her to come forward.
Mustering all her priestly dignity Rei walked forward gracefully. She knelt before the King in silence, looking down. She knew for her plan to succeed she had to gain the trust of the royal family.
"What's your name, woman?" The King asked, while admiring her undeniable beauty.
"Rei, your Majesty. It means Spirit." She replied politely.
"It is true you are a seer?" He asked with a commanding tone that made her remember her estranged father. A politician interested only in power and prestige who never loved her.
"Yes, your Majesty. I have the blessing of the fire spirits and I can sometimes see the future in fire." She anticipated another cruel trial but the King surprised her.
"Interesting. You two, bring down the brazier!" The King ordered to his guards. The two strong looking warriors easily dislodged a huge brazier full of flaming embers from a chain it was suspended on the ceiling. They placed it on the floor in front of the king.
"Now woman, look in the fire and tell us what you can see about our future!" He ordered her, with a serious face.
Understanding her life was in danger, Rei knelt in seiza position beside the fire. Placing her hands on her thighs she concentrated on the flames, freeing her mind of any distracting thoughts. She was the flame and the flame was her. She lost herself into it, drifting in a deep trance.
"What is she doing?" Asked the king to his son.
"Look at her with the scouter Father. It is very interesting." Young Vegeta replied.
The King did as suggested by his son, marveling at the strange readings. "Her level is fluctuating wildly. This is very strange. But it proves nothing. Let's see if she can tell us something useful. If not, you will kill her for trying to deceive us."
"As you wish, Father."
Meanwhile Rei gasped and woke up from the trance. Bowing again to the king she asked permission to talk.
"Tell us woman, what did you see in the flames?"
"I saw a great leader battling a white monster." She replied, still shaken by the vivid vision.
"Go ahead!" The King ordered her.
"The monster kills the leader and all his men. Then he crushes a big red sphere in his hands, and from the sphere blood comes out. The blood falls on a blue and white planet like rain, and from the ground a million rays of light ascend to the stars, burning them. Than all went black and I woke up."
"What's the meaning of this?" Asked the King, annoyed at the cryptic description.
Rei wasn't sure of it, but she tried to give the King some advice based on the prophecy. "I think the vision started from the end result and went backwards to the triggering event. Other than that I can't offer other insights."
The prince interrupted the exchange. "The latter part of the vision could hint at the attacks on planet Meat. The blood and the rays of light that burn the stars are a very clear giveaway. This could only mean that Frieza will kill you and destroy our planet if we follow his order to attack Meat directly." He told the King rather bluntly.
"Yes. We are having doubts about Frieza's true intentions since the start of this damned invasion. Still this proves nothing. She must give us more useful information!" The King was annoyed at his son's disagreement on the matter of the attack. He insisted on following Captain Maizen's plan, while the King preferred captain Nappa's. However the latter failed miserably and they lost a lot of good warriors.
"I can try your Majesty." Rei replied immediately. Again she gazed into the fire, hopeful for another vision. It came almost instantly, her seer powers seeming to flare and grow as she used them. More than in her own universe.
This time she saw clearly a blue-white planet, surrounded by stars. One by one the stars went out, dimming the light on the planet. At the end, when the last star died out, the planet was enveloped in darkness. Than it was on fire, burning down completely. This time she came easily out of the trance and described the new vision to the court.
"This time she described Maizen's plan almost perfectly. And she had no way to know it! It is clear; if we follow it we will take planet Meat without difficulty. Why are you so adverse to it father?" Vegeta asked the King.
"Humph! It is a good plan, but it will gain us little honor! Still we must admit she impressed us." He looked at Rei. "Woman! From this moment you will be part of Prince Vegeta's guard. Ask the castle servants for new quarters and equipment. If you need something for your fire readings tell them. They will fetch it for you. Now go! All of you! We have to think about what she told us."
While standing up and bowing Rei felt elated. She succeeded in gaining a position in the court! In Prince Vegeta's guards no less! Now she could try to influence them through her visions, to smooth their barbaric ways into a semblance of civilization. At least until they could return to their universe. This way, she hoped to lessen the burden of her defiled soul.
When they were out of the throne room however, Prince Vegeta smirked at her. "Good work woman. Next time you will 'see' what I'll tell you. Your real visions will be only for me. Do I make myself crystal clear on this?" He told her with a venomous voice.
"Yes, your Highness!" She replied kneeling to him, right fist on her heart. Her thoughts however were not so tame. 'This child is scary! He is smart and powerful beyond his years, I'll have to be very careful with him!'
The castle's servants took her to a stylish suite. Complete with lounge, bedroom and a bathroom with real water! Asking for her preferences, the servants modified the suite to her tastes in less than an hour. A nearby hall was reserved for her fire readings. She carefully described the necessary items and furniture for the room. More difficult was having them understand how to make a traditional Miko attire.
They also replaced her old armor with a new one, of higher quality. She was given choices between many accessories such as capes, heavier undersuits and jewels. Hoping to impress the King, she selected a slightly more stylish armor in her usual red and purple colors and some accessories.
The servants told her she was invited to a formal dinner in the evening. She thanked them, asking for some time alone. When they went away, she quickly discarded her clothing jumping in a bathtub full of hot water!
"Aaahh! I so needed a real bath! I'm returning back to life!" She thought how much her friends would have liked to bath with real water. Sighing she groped for her scouter on the bathroom floor. Better to tell them she was fine.
"Usagi? Its Rei. Do you hear me?" She asked after activating her call code.
"Rei-chan, are you OK? Is Minako with you?" Her friend replied immediately. She was clearly worried for her.
"I'm well, thank you." She was about to tell her of her 'promotion' but the thought of someone listening on their scouter channel prompted her to refrain. "I... made some acquaintances. I will stay out for the night. But everything is OK. Umm... Wait a moment, Minako? She's not here!" She had not seen her friends since breakfast.
"She's not there? But she came after you this morning! I'll try to reach her. I'll call you later! Bye Rei-chan!"
"Wait Usagi! I might not be able to reply this evening... uff!" Her friend had cut off the call.
Rei's imagination the conjured in her mind a scene in which Usagi called her continuously over her dinner with the King. "Better to block her calls for a while." she thought programming the device to ignore any contact from her friends.
Standing up from the bath she entered the sonic drier. In an instant she was ready. Wearing her new undersuit and armor she let her hair fall wild, having noticed Saiyans preferred natural hairstyles over complicated ones. Looking at herself on a mirrored wall she made some last minute adjustment, selecting a pair of flame shaped earrings made of shining red metal. She draped a long sleeveless red overcoat over the armor and walked out of the suite.
A guard was standing in the corridor. She walked slowly up to him, looking at his face to appraise the effect her image was having. A good effect to be sure, as the guard started sweating, blushing slightly as she stopped only inches from his chest.
"Please, brave warrior, can you tell me how to reach the hall for this evenings dinner? The King demanded my presence, but I'm new in this castle, you know..." She whispered in his ear.
Gulping down, the guard replied immediately. "Yes, my lady. I'm here to escort you. Follow me please!" He slowly walked away, still nervous. The stunning beauty of the woman unnerved him. The King and the Prince obviously valued her, and many guards were killed for the wrong stare at the wrong moment!
The dining hall if possible was even grander than the throne room. Obviously, eating was very important for the Saiyans, so Rei wasn't surprised at all by this. The guard escorted her to her seat, left of the King. She was the last to arrive, as she had hoped.
Bowing graciously to the King and a moment later to the prince she waited for their approval. The king motioned for her to sit, pleased by her beauty and composure. Prince Vegeta scoffed inwardly at her actions, but kept a smiling facade for the benefit of the King.
Rei looked at the guests, a dozen warriors of both sexes. Beside the King and his son she recognized only three, Captain Maizen, Captain Nappa and her acquaintance Jean, the Runner! 'What is she doing here?' She thought.
The woman was wearing a new armor, not too dissimilar to hers. The other guests were probably all elite fighters. Their appearance and countenance a cut above the other Saiyans, if not in sophistication at least in pride.
"Now that we are all here, we want to introduce to you our new subordinate; the fire-seer Rei. She demonstrated her powers to us this morning, so we decided to let her come to the following war councils." The King said while the servants started to bring on the table some huge trays full of tantalizing foods. Maizen nodded at her, somehow not surprised to see one of the once weak girls at the king's side. Nappa instead glowered at her.
"And now, eat to your hearts content!" The King bellowed taking hold of a humongous piece of meat and starting to chomp it. To Rei dismay everyone save her started to gobble up the food without any restraint!
She was hungry too, her Saiyan metabolism requiring food to counter the effects of gravity on her body. Nonetheless she managed to restrain herself eating with modesty and dignity. The secret was eating faster!
During the dinner her eyes crossed Jean's. A disembodied voice echoed in her mind. 'Jean to Rei, do you hear me? I'm speaking telepathically. Jean to Rei…'
Telepathy! This was new for the Miko. She tried to think back. 'I hear you Jean-san. Are you an Esper?' She told her with her mind, now very curious. She never met anyone with powers similar to hers.
Meanwhile the Saiyans were still eating like hungry wolves! Chomp! Munch!
'Not really. It's more complicated than that, but I'll leave quantum physics lessons to Ami. Hear me out, I've something important to tell you.' The woman replied.
Glomp! Gobble! Crunch!
'Tell me.' Rei tried to take a slice of bread from a basket but a female warrior scooped it up before she could. She retorted by stealing some dumplings from under her nose.
Munch! Slobber! Glub!
'I managed to be rated as Elite. The skill at raising my power level caught the interest of the King, and now I'm in the perfect position for searching the Void. I was thinking it has to be someone without real fighting power, or it will succumb to its instincts and lash out against anyone crossing its path.' The woman wrestled a hunk of meat from Nappa's hand, chomping it down before he could do the same.
Chomp! Gobble, gobble! Munch!
Rei considered the information. It made sense. A creature born of destruction blessed with great power rarely resorted to subterfuge, unless unable to do otherwise. 'Are you sure it is not sealed or something similar?' She asked while waiting for the opportunity to snatch some pickled vegetables.
Gnam! Crunch! Slurp!
'It's a possibility. But it is difficult. Normal beings cannot imprison a Void for long. It can control karma, like I can. It will free itself in an instant. No, it has to be a weak creature.' She replied after a short pause. Then she quickly grabbed some meatballs, swiftly eating them.
Much! Munch! Gobble!
'It is not a Saiyan then. They are all very violent. Maybe a PTO technician?' Rei replied while eating fish fillets with hasty dignity.
Champ! Glub! Gnaw!
'I was thinking about that. Someone with the opportunity to cause great harm and destruction. Keep your eyes open. Now that we are both in the King's court we can cooperate and end this game faster. And more important…'
'Yes?'
'…Could you pass me the salt please?' She asked her frivolously.
'Jean-san! I thought you were more serious!' She mind-laughed, while throwing her the shaker.
'You don't know me at all, then!' The Runner chuckled, cutting off the telepathic conversation and grabbing the item on the fly.
Slobber! Slurp! Munch! GOBBLE!
The sound of Saiyans eating echoed into Rei's ears, making her blush. She did not pay them attention while mind-speaking with Jean. Sighing Rei resumed eating, thinking about what she said to her. Capturing the Void and saving the entire universe… this was also a good way to atone for the Babkian deaths she caused.
When the dinner was almost finished, her musings were interrupted by the King's voice. "My captains, we have an announcement to make. After long pondering we have decided to follow Captain Maizen's plan for the Meatian campaign. The previous plan succeeded only in making us lose good warriors. We were even scolded by Lord Frieza! His two minions had the nerve to 'remind' us of his orders! In our throne room!"
A murmur of indignation came from the assembly. Captain Nappa stood up, enraged. "My plan is flawless! We only have to throw more low-class trash at that planet. Once we have overwhelmed their defense lines we move in with the elite and they will be history!"
The King raised his brow at the captain's rage. "This is the heart of the problem… Their defenses are strong and low-class warriors are not enough. Perhaps you want to test them personally with your squad?"
Nappa was brutish but not entirely stupid. He saw the terrible power of the Defense Ray Beam. No attack ball ever reached planet Meat or one of its moons. "Still I don't see how Maizen's plan will be of any use in our situation! Sure we can conquer a lot of underdeveloped Meatian colony planets with it, but the home planet?"
Maizen, composed as usual, took the opportunity to explain once again his strategy. "Your Majesty?" Receiving a nod he talked on. "Hitting hard their colonies like Babke and Kyubarb without wiping out the entire population, is an indirect attack on Meat."
Rei was surprised by the statement. Not wiping out the population?
"As you know, Meat is sorely overpopulated. They colonized other planets to relieve their home ecosystem of the population pressure. By allowing the victims of our assaults to flee back to Meat we will strain their resources to the limit." He continued to explain.
"Wait!" Rei stopped him. "You mean the Babkians are not all dead?" She asked him trembling with hope.
All the Saiyans at the table looked at the King, waiting to see if he approved of her interruption. The King smiled without saying anything.
Maizen nodded at her. "Only the Babkian military was destroyed by your attack, most of the citizens escaped by starship back on Meat. I expected this result when I prepared the attack. Your squad did a fine job."
Rei slumped on her seat, completely worn out. Sighing she managed to compose herself. "Thank you for the explanation, Captain." She turned to the king. "I apologize for interrupting, your majesty." The king nodded at her, signaling at Maizen to go on.
Rei was immensely relieved from the news. They killed the army and some unfortunate civilians, but were not responsible for genocide! This changed nothing for her, but her friends would be happy to know. A cough echoed in her mind, startling her!
'Rei, stay concentrated. You should pay attention to Maizen's explanation.' Jean was mind-speaking to her again!
Bowing slightly to her, Rei tried to do as she suggested.
"… and once their extra-planetary resources are depleted by attacks like the Babke suppression..." He waved his and towards Rei. "... we will have to simply blast any ship coming or leaving the planet, to stop resupply. They'll have to surrender sooner or later. This way we'll have the planet and all the infrastructures intact." He finished snapping his fingers.
Most of the captains clearly didn't like his strategy. "It's a coward's plan!" Shouted Nappa, even more enraged. "We should charge in and smash them once and for all. Not waste time like with that half-baked attack on Babke." he was spitting on the table while pointing at her, much to Rei's disgust.
She had enough. Standing up she rebuked him. "Frieza's orders require to take the Defense Ray Platforms intact. Do you think you can do this in a frontal assault? This is not a matter of pride, but of completing the mission!"
Prince Vegeta was having fun at the conversation. He always thought Nappa a total idiot. He had some usefulness however, like a vicious guard dog. This time however he was out of his bounds. Someone had to put him down, and the new girl still had to prove her mettle to the captains. Catching Maizen's smile at Rei's chiding of Nappa, he decided to follow his lead and spice up the situation. "I agree with the woman. Your plan sucks badly Nappa!"
Rei turned to look at him. "I've not said anything like that…"
But the big Saiyan was already fuming. Being ridiculed in front of his peers by a newbie was too much. "You scum! I should have killed you when we first met! Return to your trash mound, low-class whore!" He screamed at her, while shaking his huge fists.
The assembly gasped at the insults. Any warrior so disrespected would try to kill his offender immediately! They all looked at Rei.
'Uh, oh. I screwed up badly… Prince Vegeta set me up!' She thought, a bit too late while the Runner face palmed. Mustering her courage, she tried to remain impassible. Now she had no choice.
Speaking with a dignified tone she addressed her nemesis. "If the almighty captain Nappa is so convinced of his superiority, then he should have no problem facing me in duel tomorrow morning, in the castle's courtyard."
"Why not now? You fear me, bitch!" He replied almost spitting.
"And ruin the mood of the banquet our Lord has invited us to? You are really an uncouth barbarian, aren't you? Anyway, killing you in the morning will be the perfect flavoring for my breakfast." She replied smirking at him.
Prince Vegeta laughed hard at her reply, immediately imitated by most of the captains and the King. Nappa blushed grinding his teeth. "Fine! Tomorrow morning I will crush you into the dirt! Then I'll be the one to have a good breakfast!" He replied shouting. Then he walked away furious.
"And he forgot to salute his Lord, what an ignorant lout!" She said, bowing to the King. "Again I ask forgiveness for interrupting, your majesty."
"Don't mind that, woman! It was very funny. Someone had to put Nappa in his place sooner or later." The king replied smiling maliciously. "Now, we will retire in our chambers. Tomorrow morning we expect a good battle. Try not to disappoint us. You can go!" He waved at the guests, signaling the end of the dinner.
Returning to her suite Rei met Jean, waiting for her. "Nappa will use you to mop up the courtyard, do you know that?" She told her dryly.
The disgraced Miko shrugged at the notion. "We'll see. I'm stronger after all the beatings we endured. And Nappa really is an idiot."
"Maybe you are right. But he is a powerful idiot. His power level is only 4000 on scouters, but his resistance and stamina are more like on the 7000 level." The woman informed her.
"How do you know that?" Rei asked interested.
"I will explain later. Now it is better to call your friends and inform them of the situation. We have to find a way to make sure you survive the duel."
"Good idea. I blocked the scouter earlier, let see if someone called me." She punched the commands in the device, and a long list was visualized on her screen.
"I was right. Usagi called 23 times! The King would have killed me had I not blocked her calls! She can be such a worrywart at times." She inserted her friend's code, calling back.
"Reiiii-chan!Iwassoworriedforyou!Tellmewhatitishap pened!Ohmygodareyouwell…" Usagi's voice reached even Jean ears, so high was the volume.
"Ouch, Usagi! Please slow down! I'm still OK. Are you all right?"
"Oh, I'm a bit lonely here, in our quarters… Still no one showed up. I can't reach Makoto, her scouter is off. Ami is still with Tarble and Minako is playing some game. And you?"
"Hem… I have good news. The Babkians… it seems most of the population escaped by starship. We only fought against their army." She started to tell her.
"Oh, this is good news! Those poor people, I'm glad to hear that."
Rei gulped down hard. "And then, I was promoted court-seer by the King and challenged Captain Nappa to a duel to the death. Cool eh?"
"Court seer? Nice! I hope they'll pay you for it or… wait! You challenged that Nappa monster to a death duel? Are you mad? And you're always telling me to keep a cool head! How can you do something so unwise? I can't tell you how this is…"
She hastily removed the scouter while Usagi's high pitched scolding buzzed from the speakers, threatening to deafen her.
Sweat dropping Rei sighed at Jean. "She doesn't handle bad news very well …"