Chapter Twenty
" Honor is simply the morality of superior men."
H.L Mencken
3 years later
Adalina managed to rekindle her relationship with Vegeta, even if he was still bitter and cold towards her, he wasn't hostile. He once again humored her odd musings, and went on missions with her. But he was a grown man, and he had missions of his own to attend to. Frieza would never admit it, but he was at least a little proud of having the Saiyan on his side, though, the tyrant had much bigger things to worry about at the moment...
She was going to be livid. Was that the word he was looking for? Melancholic fit much better. He was pacing, something he didn't do often. And for what? Because he was dreading what he had to tell the woman? He hated the effect she had on him, but he didn't want her to be upset.
"Come here, I need to speak with you." he had called over her scouter mere moments before.
He wasn't sure how he was going to break such news to her.
The door hissed open, and it some how made him anxious.
Why did he have to develop feelings for her?
"What was it you needed?" she smiled at him, that damned smile that was soon to be wiped clean off her face, and it was going to be his fault.
He tried to tell himself that he wouldn't mind the expression, that it would bring him joy to know that he was the cause of her despair. But that's not how it worked anymore. He wanted to be the reason for her laughing and smiling.
How sickening.
"Another piece of the staff has been located." he began.
Adalina sighed,
"And what crazy thing do I have to do to retrieve it this time?" she questioned in a bored tone, as the last two pieces had given them trouble.
"Nothing. It's out in the open, no one else has gotten to it yet. It's the location that might be disconcerting."
She tilted her head in confusion, signalling for him to explain.
He settled for bringing up a map on his HUD and pointing to the high-lighted planet.
Her chest tightened when she read the familiar, and yet distant words. Something she thought she would never see again.
'Zandonia' was spelled out next to the familiar planet, and they weren't far off from it either.
"Oh." was all she had in response, her face falling a bit.
"You do not have to accompany me." he would have appreciated it, however. It was always advantageous to have a native on hand.
Adalina shook herself out of her stupor. She had no reason to be upset with him, it wasn't like he had chosen the location on purpose,
"No no, it's fine, I'll go." her voice came out a bit reluctant, leading Frieza to believe that it wasn't fine. He didn't want her to do something that might cause her distress, for it could make his life difficult.
"If it's going to bother you, I would much rather you stay on the ship." he frowned, crossing his arms in front of him.
"I said it's fine. I haven't been back there in twenty years, it'll be a welcome change."
He sighed,
"If that's what you wish, we'll be docking shortly." he wasn't going to stop her, even if he knew that the trip was going to put her in a foul mood. She pretended that she had forgiven him, but he knew it wasn't true. She still held bitter resentment towards him for what he had done, and visiting her home planet was only going to cause these feelings to resurface much stronger.
"I'll go put more suitable clothing on. You might not want to wear too much armor either, it gets hot there this time of the year." she said distantly.
Adalina exited the throne room and walked to their shared quarters, a trip she had made hundreds of times. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about visiting her home planet after all those years. Surely it would cause a few unpleasant feelings to resurface. The planet was most certainly an empty shell of its former self, and she had no one to blame but Frieza.
But she didn't want to be mad at him for it.
She had told herself so many times that his tyrannical nature was due to his father's influence, that his actions weren't entirely his own. Sometimes she found that hard to believe though, sometimes she felt as if he would be the same person no matter what. But he had changed, he had shown her that he was capable of feeling guilt and regret, and his insistence that she not go only proved her point. He didn't want her to be upset.
"Good afternoon Commander Adalina!" a familiar voice called as she passed by them.
She stopped to smile at their newest recruit, a girl she had personally taken under her wing to train,
"Good evening, Synder, are you getting along with the other soldiers?" she asked.
The girl was a few inches taller than her, with tanned cream colored skin. Her eyes were a piercing black and her wavy hair resembled the fire that she controlled, fading from red, to orange, to yellow. She hailed from the planet Ignis and was a surprisingly skilled fighter.
"For the most part. They think I'm not a worthy opponent because I'm a woman. I showed them." she was cocky, and had quite the ego. But that was part of her appeal. She had even dared to challenge Frieza himself (a situation she'd had to quickly diffuse.)
"Keep up that attitude, it'll serve you well. I'll be off now, we're docking soon." she waved and continued on her way, oblivious to the devious smirk she was receiving.
Synder couldn't be more happy that all of the pieces were finally falling into place. She need only bide her time and wait for orders.
It was just as she had remembered it. Luscious golden grass topped by a soft pink sky. Tropical plants and animals dotting the landscape beautifully. Apparently Frieza had yet to colonize or sell the planet, his reasons why were unknown but she had a suspicion that it was to keep her complacent.
Perhaps the remainder of her people could return one day?
"It's this way." Frieza interrupted her musings, flying towards the direction his scouter was indicating. He hadn't taken her advice and was still wearing his every-day armor. Though, to be fair, he didn't wear much of it to begin with.
She was in a crimson red tank top and matching pair of shorts, choosing to leave her armor on the ship. The white garment had always made her extremely hot on her home-planet. The downfall of having metal armor.
Frieza had told her she looked rather indecent, and she had responded with anger, saying that she would wear whatever she wished. He didn't mind it too much though, as the outfit showed her curvy body off quite well.
He mentally shook his head, what was he thinking? He still hadn't come to terms with his feelings for the woman, so having such inane thoughts was out of the question. He had to keep his head clear if he was ever to be rid of such fancies.
"That's where I spent my vacations every year." she said happily as she pointed to a large blue lake. The water was a crystal clear teal color and absolutely breath-taking, "I definitely know where we're at."
The tyrant was glad that she was handling the situation well, as a soldier would be expected to. She seemed more nostalgic than anything, and over-joyed that he hadn't touched the planet.
They closed in on their location and the woman once again found herself being sucked through time. They had stopped at a familiar cave, one she knew all too well,
"By the look on your face, I'm assuming you know where we're at?" the tyrant questioned in a bored tone.
Adalina nodded her head slowly, a smile on her face,
"Part of my training when I was younger was to brave this cave alone, with nothing but a dagger and my wits. Of course I also had energy blasts and the like, but that wasn't enough for some of the creatures that dwell within." she said ominously, "But I'm sure we can handle them just fine!" she smiled brightly as they descended.
The entrance to the largre cave was dark and foreboding, but Adalina paid it no mind, waltzing right in with Frieza on her tail. The both of them had no trouble navigating in the dark cavern, even though it wasn't dark for very long.
The walls were alive with glowing creatures of all shapes and sizes, and Adalina was more than happy to tell him all about it,
"I would advise against touching that, " she pointed to a rather decorative looking fungi, "it's poisonous and I'm not sure if it would effect you or not. Ooh, and these little guys are the nicest little things ever." she scooped up a glowing lizard-like creature for him to examine. It was bright pink and had a little smile on its face.
Frieza would never admit it, but he was quite fascinated by the world his second called home. Never had he seen creatures that glowed so brightly, and never had he seen the woman so enthusiastic, so happy.
It was certainly a welcome change.
The small creature Adalina was holding jumped onto his shoulder and he resisted the urge to obliterate it, simply lifting it by its tail and placing it back onto the wall they were walking along.
"We're getting close." he commented as his scouter beeped.
Adalina knew what awaited them, but somehow, she hoped it wouldn't be there. It had terrified her when she was younger, and it had been her final test.
"There will be a creature ahead of us. Do not kill it, I'll deal with it." she commented slowly, "Killing it will only make our lives harder."
"Don't give me orders." he replied gruffly. Though, to be fair, it was her planet, she would know what's best over him.
"I'm not ordering, I'm warning. You don't want to mess with it. I know how strong you are, yes, but it's not about strength."
Her words left him curious. What could possibly lie ahead? She was speaking in riddles it seemed, and he wasn't too fond of it, after all, he wasn't very patient.
He was just about to respond when she turned around and placed a finger to her lips, a signal to be quiet. The tyrant peered around her and saw the creature which she spoke of. It was uniquely patterned, as its body was entirely black with glowing stripes and circles expertly dotted about its fur.
It resembled a large cat as it lay slumbering, it's curled form still large and imposing. The animal was easily much larger than the two of them put together.
"Well I'll be dammed, it's the same one." Adalina mumbled under her breath as she caught sight of the scar decorated its back, "The is what's called an Elfen. It's capable of creating strong illusions to enchant, and entrap its prey."
"I've told you many times that my species possess strong telepathic capabilities. Illusions fall under that category, do they not?" he wasn't afraid of the animal, nor would he bend to its will.
"My mother was a strong telepath as well, but even she got caught under its spell. It's certainly something else. Not to mention that injuring it only causes more to come to its aid. I made that mistake." she whispered, "The best way to deal with it is to paralyze it."
"And how do you suggest we do that?"
Adalina smiled widely, revealing her small fangs,
"I'm venomous, in case you haven't noticed. Though this particular toxin seems to only effect creatures from my home planet." she shrugged, "I don't have much use for it."
Frieza vaguely recalled thinking that she was venomous when they had first met, as her bright coloring seemed to be a warning. Though usually it meant one was poisonous, he supposed it could go both ways.
"You're going to bite it?" he questioned in disbelief, a mild undertone of disgust present in his voice.
"Of course. It wouldn't be the first time either. I had quite the tussle with this one before I realized what I had to do."
Frieza stood back, still wide-eyed as his second in command inched forward towards the creature, poised and ready to strike. He never thought that this trip would reveal so much about the young woman.
She pounced and he made sure that he would be ready to pull her out of the animals jaws, should her plan fail. Even if the animal was injured and more came, he was certain that they would be capable of outrunning the creatures.
The animal awoke with a start as it felt a heavy weight land on its back. It roared loudly and stood on its hind legs in a vein attempt to buck the woman off. She smiled, this was so much easier than when she was younger.
"Calm down kitty!" she laughed slightly, finding the experience entertaining.
She bit down comically on the Elfen's shoulder, eliciting a small growl from the creature.
Frieza was absolutely stunned at her display of such childish behavior. He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh along with her or tell her how idiotic she looked.
The animal slowled its thrashing and fell to the ground, paralyzed,
"Is that permanent?" Frieza questioned
"No. It'll last about ten or so minutes for an animal of this size." she climbed off of the Elfen and immediately turned towards the small room they had been headed towards, "I'm assuming it's up ahead. There's an exit as well, but we have to hurry."
Frieza loathed being ordered around by the Zandonian woman, and it showed in the scowl that adorned his face,
"You would do well to remember your place." he said slowly as they quickly phased into the room ahead of them.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. And here she thought they were having a rather fun outing,
"I'm not ordering, I'm suggesting." she smirked, "I could start making orders. You seem like you're into that kind of thing."
"Stop talking." he snapped, "You're making me sick."
"I'm only teasing. Lighten up, have a bit of fun why don't you?"
Now that, certainly, wasn't like her. Something wasn't right with her, perhaps she was coping with something? Trying to hard to cover her disdain? He wouldn't ask though, merely observe.
They reached their destination in record time, the bauble sitting precariously atop a narrow rock formation. Adalina stared at the small galaxy colored marble,
"I'm sure this wasn't here before." she mumbled as she reached a steady hand towards it, snatching it up as if something might happen to it.
The walls began crumbling as the small room around them seemed to disintegrate,
"We're leaving." Frieza commanded, taking charge once more.
"Exit's this way." she shouted over the roar of debris.
She took to the air, flying towards the bright hole at the top of the cave. They had to hurry before the entrance was closed off,
"As if the sunlight shining through the giant hole in the ceiling couldn't have told me." he replied in a snarky tone as he followed her.
They flew into the powder pink skyline of Zandonia, exiting the cave as it crumbled beneath them. Adalina looked down to see that the Elfin had recovered and had made it out of the forsaken cavern. It was growling at the two furiously,
"That was a lot shorter than ten minutes." she shrugged, "Oh well, we still got what we came for."
"And you berate me for my misjudgments of time." Frieza smirked.
She was about to reply when she noticed something she was sure they had not passed by earlier. They had been merely flying without a true course, not paying attention to where they were going.
Below them lay a charred and overgrown city. The circular buildings toppled and useless. It was a haunting scene, only furthered by the subtle clouds that had rolled in, casting a shadow over the landscape.
Frieza examined the girl's face as it fell, her eyes losing the light they had had earlier. She stopped mid-air and gazed upon the sight,
"I wasn't aware. I mean, I knew, but I never actually got to see..." she mumbled. Her eyes were misty with held back emotion. So this trip had affected her negatively.
"Let's keep moving." the tyrant stated calmly, "There's nothing to see here. What's done is done."
Her heart clenched as she was reminded of her fallen comrades, her friends that had perished on that day. And who was to blame? The man she was working for, the man she had come to have feelings for.
She felt sickened by her own behavior when it was put in front of her like that,
"Yeah." she replied distantly, picking up speed once more.
She wouldn't be mad at him. She had gotten past that, and so had he.
They would be alright. They would be just fine.
Frieza wanted to do something to make her smile again but found that he was at a loss for words. He didn't know how one went about such things. Maybe it was better to let her cope on her own?
He found that beings were much better off working through their problems without any outside interference.
"Synder, are you enjoying your new occupation?" a smooth female voice asked within the Ignision's head. It wasn't anything new, it happened all the time.
"Very." she answered out-loud as she was alone in her room, " I'm finding it quite enlightening. I'm learning that imbecile's fighting patterns and she doesn't even know it."
"It may take you a few years to gather enough support for a coup, but with your mental prowess, I'm sure it will be no problem." the woman replied in a silky tone.
"It will be no problem at all, in fact, it sounds like a lot of fun." the fiery haired girl grinned maniacally.
Things were about to get very real.
A/N: Sorry if this is a little rushed, vague, and/or weird. This entire chapter got deleted and I had to re-write all of it over the course of two days. It was a little stressful, but I'm glad it got done. I'm also debating on uploading a small one-shot as I didn't get everything I wanted into this chapter( traveling through a cold quadrant). Would you guys enjoy that? It would be purely fluff.
Please excuse any errors in this one, I haven't had time to proof read it.
Anywho, next chapter will have a rather large fight scene, and will be the conclusion to this 'Galaxy Staff' arc.
Oh, and I would also like to tell you that a picture of Synder is up on my deviantart, my username is Kurokagamiimeji.
Thanks for reading guys!