Forming a Bond

Chapter twenty-six

It had been a day since Leta had left their craft. Paragus had made himself scarce after he subdued his son, preferring to brood than spend time with Broly. Not that the younger saiyan had a problem with that. His father might have been his father, but they we not very close. The only person that Broly knew as he knew himself, his mother, they all believed to be dead.

So he allowed his father to stay away on another part of the ship as he waited for Leta to return. After the forty-two hours, the length of a day as far as Broly had been raised with, there was still no sign of her pod docking. He tried to read over the maps as information from the ship's sensors picked up information in the space around them for any sign. He was not as adept as his mother at reading these charts regardless of the time he spent watching her do it. He also had no idea what the 'imaginary' lines (which weren't so imaginary as he could see them) meant like Leta would have. He knew they had some meaning as to travel and who did it but that was as far as his knowledge went on that.

Frustratedly, Broly clenched his fist. With one minor tap the panel in front of him crumbled. Electronics buzzed and fritzed as he removed his fist from the crater it had created. As he started to turn around to leave, Broly caught site of a small red light on another screen. He moved over to it and turned it on. The display showed readings and reports of communications as they filled in, line after line as ships responded to a distress call.

One phrase caught his attention: Warrior Beasts.

Broly moved through the information as a kernel of hope bloomed was planted. The report of a planet in distress calling out to other planets in the area put it in there. The way they reported it (two savages with tails, fighting and killing, indestructible, one was female) made that hope bloom with the speed of fire in his chest. Without more thought he set the coordinate of the distressed planet and set the ship onto the fastest speed they had.

His father stormed into the room after the jerk of the ship's abrupt change couldn't be compensated for and sent his drink tumbling down. Broly didn't care that his father looked disturbed, nor for the way that he was squinting at him with the one eye he had left. If what he was reading about the reports being anywhere near true, Broly would get to the planet no matter what. Even if the inhabitants were dead by that time, which was probably what was going to happen if he was right, there was still no way he was going to blow this chance. His mother might be alive.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Broly spared his father one glance before looking back at the display, "There is a planet that saiyans might be attacking."

His father looked disgruntled, Broly could see that even before he turned away. "What does that matter to you boy?"

"One might be mother."

Paragus scuffed. "How would she have gotten over there? Admit it, she died on that planet."

"No," Broly said admittedly.

"Yes," Paragus argued back.

"No. We are going."

Paragus growled at his son's stubborn ignorance. "Fine. But when we get there and it is not her, I will not hear any more of this nonsense. Understood?"

Broly cast his father a look out of the corner of his eye but nodded slowly. He knew she was alive, his father would not change his mind on that.

Annya looked at Turles as she rose up to meet him. The fruit he had in his hand smelled sickly sweet and somehow it smelled like a form of meat as well. Like he had just bitten into a creature instead of planet.

"The planet is dying. We need to go," Annya said.

Turles nodded in agreement. "First you need to try this."

Anna held out her hand to grab the fruit from the air after Turles tossed it to her. When she tried it, the redhead felt a rush of energy like nothing she'd ever tasted before. It tasted good and felt even better. It was like a rush of pure power and life all in one bite. She took another to test it over her tongue before tossing the rest of the fruit back at Turles.

Power and life...and yet the tree was killing this planet if what the natives had said was right. Annya's mind worked quickly to figure out what they meant. This tree, which grew so quickly, must have been a parasite. It fed on the planet and produced fruit with that energy like any other planet, really. Only this one was on a massive scale. It took in the solar raise as well as the life force of everything it came into contact which was connected with the planet.

"The tree has taken the life and energy of this planet and turned it into consumable power," Annya said with a hint of awe and admiration in her voice.

"It's perfect," Turles agreed as he finished off the fruit.

He picked another and another. The saiyan warrior bit into each one as he felt his power increase with each bite. He wasted nothing of the fruit. When he was done, Turles lowered to the ground and laughed. His head tilted back as the sound echoed around them.

"You sound happy," Annya commented.

"I am."

"Why?"

Turles smiled as he motioned over to the tree. "That tree, it will change everything. We can plant it on every planet we come across and eat the fruit. Soon we'll be the strongest. We'll be able to take on Frieza! Take on everyone else and reclaim what should be rightfully ours."

Annya nodded slowly, but then added. "It would work...if this tree didn't kill the host planet."

"So?" Turles challenged.

"So if we go to every planet in order to gain more fruit, then when we are strong enough there will be no planets left. Nothing to build shelter from. Nothing to eat. No one to fight."

Turles' smile turned into a frown. The thoughts turned in his head until he agreed with the woman in front of him.

"You're right. We will select the planets that are of no use to us. Maybe the ones that are most loyal to the Cold empire."

"Frieza," Annya added. "I have no quarrel with the rest of his family. Nor should you."

"Frieza then," Turles said exasperated. He didn't exactly do restrictions very well. "You agree to come with me then?"

"For now," Annya said.

"Yes or no?" The saiyan pressed.

"Yes."

"Good. Because the moon is rising."