Crono's Story
Chapter 33
Yush
"Are you almost ready, Mr.
Trinity?" The young nurse asked me in a
voice that bordered on genuine concern. I lacked the strength to do anything but nod, but even if I'd had the
power to speak, the oxygen mask covering my mouth probably would've prevented
my words from coming out coherently. A
nod was sufficient enough for the young woman though, and she began to give me
a tutorial on the workings of the regeneration chamber. "Now, when I push this green button," she
pointed towards a large green button on the outside of the tank, just inside my
field of vision, "the tank you're in will begin to fill with a gelatinous
mixture of healing components and a ton of your own DNA." I nodded again, wishing her to just get
started already. I'd regained some of
my strength, but the entire process of having my ki energy drained from me was
a less than pleasant one. Even an hour
after having the tube that had been bleeding me of my ki removed, I was still
far weaker than I'd ever been before in my life. "It may feel a little weird at first," the dirty blonde haired
nurse continued on, "but…" I continued to listen to her babble on and on,
although I was only half paying attention to her words. I'd been in a rejuvenation tank more than
once in my life, and the experience was nothing particularly special or new to
me. Still, the pretty young woman
carried on, as if she was fascinated by the technology, and was presenting it
more to herself than to me. I'd nearly
had a fit when I was told by Karnai that a female nurse would be attending my
time in the chamber, and therefore, see me completely naked. Though the female had blushed when she was
aiding me in getting undressed for the dip in the tank, she dealt with it in a
very businesslike manner, and was not intimidated in the least by me.
It was so very different from
anything I had ever experienced before. On my home planet of Vannattasan, women were not even considered to be
in the same league as the men. They
were generally considered pieces of bric-a-brac that had no bearing in a man's
life. They did the work around the
house, and they pleasured the males, two simple yet demanding tasks. The women within the Caprian army were, to a
high degree, the exact same. There were
the rare few that were strong enough to make it as grunts within the front
lines of the army, and even a singular officer who had a power level near a
million; but besides that, their main role was to boost moral within the lower
(and even upper) ranks. Here, on Earth,
it was completely different. From what
I had been able to discern, there was no distinct hierarchy of the sexes,
almost as if they were even. Universal
law stated that the strongest would hold the most power, yet here there was
absolutely no distinction between male and female; they were even in the grand
scheme of things.
"So, you're ready, right sir?" The short woman asked one final time. I nodded again, and then she smiled and
pushed the green button. The pumps
within and around the small, semi-transparent dome began to roar to life, and
from two pipes to my right and left hand sides, a green, oil-like liquid began
to pour out. It spread out over the
floor, and it was warm upon my bare feet. As more and more of the stuff was forced into the compartment, the level
of it began to rise steadily. The
lightly tanned nurse smiled once more at me and then left me to my own
thoughts.
The equality between the sexes was
just the beginning of the differences between Earth and the other planets I had
seen, all of which were under Caprian dictatorship. The cities on Earth were large, beautiful masterpieces of
splendour. There was an almost perfect
balance between the natural, green beauty of the plants and outside, and the
man-made structures of the humans design. Most of the cities on Vannattasan consisted of a maze of tightly jammed
together slums and ghettos. The people
living in them were poor and usually didn't have enough money to scrounge up
food for their families. Almost all of
the people's money went to the government. In fact, the entire economy of the Caprian empire was geared towards the
military; almost no thought was given to social aids or benefits. On Earth it was the complete opposite. Except for the Z Warriors, the planet didn't
seem to have a single weapon of war. Instead there were buildings like the one I was currently in, and
centres where people could buy healthy and plentiful food, and stores where
children could be bought toys by their parents, and schools where children were
taught skills other than how to survive each day.
The only real similarity I could see
between the two opposite ways of life was the prestige of a soldier. On Vannattasan, boys like myself that were
drafted into the military were seen as idols for others, and in that way it was
similar to Earth, where the Z Warriors were looked up to by small children and
adults alike. But the way in which
people looked up to their heroes was totally different. Back at home, I was seen as an idol because
I had a chance in life, a chance to escape the extreme poverty and maybe make
enough money to keep my younger siblings and parents from wasting their lives
in the high-pressure gas mines near my town. Here though, the Z fighters were idolized because of what they stood up
for, because of how hard they worked, and because of their amazing powers. It was so dissimilar from what I was used
to, that it almost made me sick. Yet, I
couldn't help but feel that the Earth that I was seeing was what planets were
supposed to look like; not like the desolate, decayed shells of dead land and
poisoned water that many planets within the Caprian's boundaries appeared
as. The really scary thing was that I'd
helped turn some of those planets into those hunks of useless terrain.
The liquid was now pushing past my
shoulders, and was continuing to rise. Before long, it had reached my mouth, which was still taking in oxygen
through the mask and tube that was outfitted within the tank. By the time the green gel had reached my
eyes, I'd firmly shut them close, it was easier to think that way.
The thought of betraying the only
family I'd ever known was less than appealing, in fact it was downright
sickening. Treachery resulted in death
to those convicted of it within the Caprian army, and not in any quick painless
death, but in public displays of torture and anguish. Higher-ups in the command chain even occasionally plucked a man
at complete random from the lower ranks and would sentence them to a long
duration of public torture, even if they were completely innocent; just to keep
the weaker soldiers in order. I knew,
I'd seen it happen to a "friend"/sparring partner of mine one day when I was
still training to become an officer. My
commander took him from the mess hall at the training center, and right there
in the cafeteria, had both his legs ripped off, in front of all the other
trainees. None of us had undergone any
gravity training at that point, so we were helpless to do anything as his screams
of agony pierced the air. The scary
thought was that we probably wouldn't have helped him, even if we were strong
enough to do something about it.
Such a thing could not occur on
Earth. If a friend was in need, you
aided them, even if you knew you would die in the process. I had seen it on the battlefield when Triel
had floored the woman Z fighter. One of
the human fighters flew in and protected his ally, even though he was quite a
bit weaker than Triel. The tactic
itself had stunned me, but what had really caught my attention was how bravely
the man acted, as if he had never even considered letting his friend die. Caprian drill teachers taught you to play
the numbers game, sacrificing another's life to save the majority, or even
forfeiting your own life for the good of the army. This strategy tended to work on relatively easy and large-scale
battles, but when facing a battle with smaller numbers, such as the one I'd had
here, that simple rule did not apply. Even the loss of a single comrade was too great, and it often gave the
enemy a tactical advantage. Realizing
this, I was quite angered when Blanka took out his frustrations with Triel's
failures when he blasted the Caprian into nothingness. But Blanka was an overconfident fool, whose
only smart move that day was to escape. And it was that escape that started me thinking…
Crono was absolutely right, my
commander's didn't need my information; they could probably get most of the
important stuff from Blanka. Besides,
we already had full readouts on all the Z Warriors, save one, and for the most
part, those bios had been completely accurate. Except for Crono. We had
absolutely nothing on him whatsoever. He was totally different than the rest of his allies. He fought with a passion and hollowness I
had never seen before, even in my most deadly of teachers and allies. And the difference between him on the
battlefield and him at peace was amazing. In combat, it was as if he was possessed by some sort of demon. I started to wonder, if Crono was right
about that, maybe he was right about a few other things to.
Maybe, just maybe, this batch of
closely-knit humans stood a chance against commander Yoorabit. Maybe, by some stroke of brilliance, they
would defeat the entire Caprian army and keep the dragon balls out of
Yoorabit's hands. If that were
possible, it would be the greatest military feat in the entire universe's
history. I had not been lying when I
told Crono that he had no idea how powerful the Caprian army was. It had taken Earth's most powerful warrior,
going beyond his max, to beat me, and I was just a lowly ensign, who had barely
begun his gravity training. There were
men a hundred times more powerful than me in the higher ranks, and almost all
of them were placed in the second wave, from what I could recall. Crono and his friends could possibly defeat
the first wave, but unless they had some sort of an ace up their sleeve, the
second wave would all but finish them. Even after realizing this though, a thread of uncertainty had been woven
into my mind, and I knew I would not get it out, not until the war was over,
and a clear victor was established.
I knew Crono was mistaken about the Masenko though. My very first instructor had taught me that
move, and he was one of the most loyal people anyone could ever meet,
especially when it came to the empire. He could not have lied to me about the origins of the Masenko, he simply
couldn't. But there was something in
the way Crono spoke of it, with a sort of obvious certainty, which led me to
believe that he was telling the truth. For all I knew, he could've been right. After all, readings on the old Earth warriors were banned from public
and low-ranking military access. Only
the highest-ranking officers had permission to see some of Son Goku's and
Vegeta's old battles, or even read transcripts of them. The battle on the original Namek was even
more closely guarded, although nobody but Yoorabit knew why. It seemed to me, through Yoorabit's public
addresses, that he was trying to hide something very personal about that battle
on Namek. Of course that was ridiculous
since Yoorabit wasn't even born when the battle on Namek took place. Besides, there was very little to hide. Everyone knew that Namek was the place where
Goku first turned into a Super Saiyan and defeated what was then the most
powerful being in the universe, Freeza.
The green liquid had completely
encompassed my body for some time, and I was quite literally floating in
it. My feet no longer touched the metal
flooring, and my entire body was tingling with the sensation as pieces of my
own DNA saturated my pores and went deep down into my organs and muscle tissue.
The thing I was most scared of Crono
being right about was whether I truly had a choice. The rules and regulations I had lived my life by up to this point
had guided me nowhere, except for a rejuvenation chamber, and I knew they would
continue to lead me nowhere if I followed them. Still, I had never known anything different, and just the idea of
going beyond anything I had ever experienced before was almost…scary.
I felt like laughing. Not laughing over something funny, but
laughing at myself. I was supposed to
be one of the most talented and upcoming warriors in the Caprian army, and there
I was, floating in a pool of green goop and scared of experiencing something
new, like a frightened child.
But laughing would not prevent me
from having to face the choice that was laid out in front of me. In all my years, I'd never been given a
choice like the one that Crono had presented me with. The question was simple: Do I go or stay? But the path to the answer was far more
complicated. Many of the questions
Crono had raised burned in my mind, and I had answers to almost none of
them. Did I really believe what Yoorabit
was doing was right? Could I really
live with myself if I passed up on this chance to save some of the most
beautiful things I'd ever seen? Could I
make a difference in the upcoming battle, on either side? I knew all the queries, but the responses
were few and far between. I had so
little time, basically until I was finished healing, and I had to make a
decision.
I didn't really agree with what the
Caprian army stood for, but since I was a child I had been taught that that was
the way it was meant to be, and that I should not question it. But I had seen such a stark contrast on
Earth, and I no longer knew for certain if what Yoorabit was doing was in any
way for the good of the universe. I had
almost fallen in love with both the natural and artificial magnificence of
Earth, and to see it lain to waste was less than appealing. Though I genuinely wanted to see the Earth
spared, I just couldn't see myself fighting for such a thing. And even if I did, I still doubted as to
whether or not I could make a difference in the war. There were over a thousand troops in just the first wave of the
Caprian army, and with number advantages like that, it would take either a huge
mistake by the Caprians, or a brilliant scheme by the humans to keep the
advancing onslaught of Yoorabit's men at bay.
My thoughts solved nothing though,
and as I floated in the greenish liquid, feeling my power and strength slowly
return to me, I could not come up with a clear solution. There were simply too many variables to consider
when making a choice like the one I was forced to reach. I simply needed more time.
I quickly realized my stupidity. Time was my only true enemy in the decision
making process, and I recognized I truly had plenty of it. Crono had given me the previous day and that
day to come to my decision, but why could I not spend the next year and a half
making that decision? I would train
with the Z Warriors, and when the Caprians made their way to Earth, I would
choose an allegiance, and fight with them on the battlefields of Earth. I wouldn't, no I couldn't, tell Crono. I would simply say that I'd decided to stay,
and then after I had more time to think of it, I would make my decision the
first day of the war. I knew deep down
that I was just putting off the inevitable choice, but I also knew that any
decision I made right then would probably be the wrong one.
With my mind somewhat at ease, I
rested peacefully for the remainder of the time in the tank. Before long, the tiny nurse came back and
asked, "Are you ready to come out Mr. Trinity?" I nodded yes, I was ready.