Kami's Lookout
April 3, A763
As quickly as she'd become exhausted, Gine woke up, the taste of a Senzu Bean in her mouth. She licked the flavor off her teeth, thankful for the save. She looked around the Lookout; Garlic Junior was gone, along with all his minions. Sesamee and Nion were still present, though Bardock and Zorn were nowhere to be found. Yajirobe was rubbing his head with one hand and patting at his belly with the other. A light, soothing and seemingly ordinary mist was surrounding the Lookout.
Gohan was standing next to her holding the bag of Senzu beans, with Korin hovering just behind him. He beamed when he saw her wake up, and he jumped at her to hug her, despite them being right next to her.
"Oof! You learned that from Brussa, that's for sure," she said, squeezing Gohan back.
"You were a Super Saiyan!" Gohan said.
"Wait, you saw that?" Gine said, her heart sinking.
"Saw it? The whole planet felt it! I thought Korin's tower was going to fall out of the sky! Then you threw Garlic into the Dead Zone, and you were gold, just like my dad was on Namek!" Gohan said.
Gine let out a sigh of relief. She had tortured and tormented Garlic Junior; she had him completely overpowered, and she had taken time to break his limbs like he was a fly before throwing him into a dimension he would be eternally stuck in, forced to deal with that pain for the rest of time.
It hadn't been some impulsive thing, giving into rage.
It had been the reason she told Gohan to get Senzu Beans.
"Do you think you can teach me how to be a Super Saiyan, too?" Gohan asked. She brushed her hand through his hair.
"Let's hope I never need to," she said, "A lot of people could have gotten hurt. Speaking of which, where's Kami?"
"I'm right here, Gine," Kami said, approaching them with Tien and Dende at his side, "Thank you for dealing with Garlic Junior. I'm afraid I haven't been powerful enough to deal with him for a very long time. The Earth is fortunate to know you and your family. This is the second your family and Piccolo have saved us from him. Thank you."
"What about Nappa, and Upa's father? And anyone else who may have been bitten? We don't have much time left to save them!" Gine said. Kami smiled and nodded.
"It's already been taken care of. We have the Sacred Water to counteract it," Kami said.
"Hey, Gohan, can I get a Senzu Bean, too?" Tien asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mister Tien, I forgot you and Mister Roshi!" Gohan dug into the bag and handed one to Tien. He ran over to Master Roshi, who refused.
"No danger, no need. Once in a while it's good to recover from your bruises the old fashioned way," Roshi said, "But thank you, boy."
Gine pet Korin on the chin, "Thank you for the Senzu Beans, Korin."
The immortal Cat-God purred, "Hey, it's my pleasure. You and yours have done enough for the Earth."
"Still, I don't ever want you to think you're the Senzu Bean Cat. I'll make sure we have dinner with you once a month from here on out, so don't fill up on Senzu Beans too much," she said.
"Well if you insist," he said, "Ooh, yeah, just like that."
"Here's the rest of the Senzu Beans, Mister Korin," Gohan offered them over. Korin took them.
"Thanks. Garlic Junior's goons did a number on my place, even smashed up most of my plants. It's gonna be awhile before I can regrow them, so let's hope no more creepos like this show up," Korin said.
"Gohan, would you go find your mother and Upa, and let them know it's all clear?" Gine said. Gohan smiled and nodded, gave her another hug, and flew off. As soon as he was out of sight, Gine shuddered.
"I can't believe I did that…" Gine said, "I tortured Garlic Junior…"
"Are you kidding me?" Sesamee called out, approaching, "That was amazing! To think I'd live to see a Super Saiyan! You've got to show me how it works!"
"I'm afraid you won't have the time," Kami said, "You only have a few hours before you disintegrate. Now that Garlic Junior and the Makyo Star are no longer anchoring you to this realm, you would not simply return to Hell. You'd cease to exist, and your essence would be disseminated. You'd suffer a fate far worse than death, being unable to constitute yourself even into a Spirit Cloud unless someone else were to summon you. The six of you must return to the Other World."
"Can't say I'd be too unhappy about that," Piccolo said, "Considering the damage you all did."
"You mean all of this was for nothing?" Fasha said, exasperated.
"There's a reason Hell works the way it does. It's their job to reincarnate and return you. Otherwise, your negative energy risks spreading throughout the realm and destroying your world. That is how the Makyans originally became so twisted and evil in the first place: They either returned to mortal bodies, or became one with the Makyo Star."
"There has to be another way," Nion said, "There aren't enough of us to restart the Saiyan race. If Garlic Junior could return us to life, surely someone else could, as well! We're needed, we can't just let ourselves die out! I won't let it happen!"
Tien stepped in, "We'll find a way to save the Saiyan race. I know your people did some terrible things, but I've also seen your people at their best, even today. Earth can be a second home for you, a second chance."
"Third," Kami interjected. Tien raised his eyebrows.
"Say again, sir?"
"Third chance. The Saiyans destroyed their original homeworld with their greed and arrogance. With their second, they destroyed the native Tuffles and drove their world to desolation. You are vowing to give the Saiyans a third chance. Such redemptions are left to powers greater than this station, Tien, it is not your choice to make," Kami said.
"With all due respect, sir, the Saiyans are inhabitants of Earth now whether or not we like it. The alternative is asking them to leave. So long as they're Earthlings, they're our responsibility. Are you ready to make that call?" Tien asked. The two stared off for a moment, before Kami smiled.
"You're right, Tien. They have earned their place. But when my time is over, you will be faced with much more difficult questions than whether or not Goku and his family deserve to be here," Kami said.
"If you bring me to life, I promise I'll earn my place," Nion said, "I was a scientist and I'm a strong warrior. Please, I didn't know there was another way!"
"Don't be pathetic," Sesamee said, "If Hell's our only option, then there's no point in whining and begging about it, Nion."
Nion clenched her fists and shut her eyes. Gine could sense her power rising, and she sighed, resigned to having to fight the Saiyan scientist. To her surprise, Nion's power dropped suddenly. Nion stared off into the distance, then glanced to Gine.
"I kept my work backed up," she said.
Gine blinked, "What?"
Nion smiled, "I backed up all the genetic data I handled throughout my career off of Planet Vegeta. I was doing more than just caring for children of the Elite, I was studying the Saiyan genome, trying to link what role genetics play in our power and strength. I was trying to understand how the Zenkai worked, specifically. I knew if my experiments were ever discovered, I'd be hunted down, so I kept a secret backup offworld."
Nion looked to Gine, "If I give you the coordinates and passwords, could you recover them? Maybe it could help our people. If I knew that I had done something to help, then...Then I can have peace with that."
"I'll make sure of it," Gine promised.
"Come on, I can help you with that," Dende said, leading her inside. Sesamee put her hands on her hips.
"Well, Gine, I gotta say, you're one tough badass," Sesamee said, "If nothing else, I'm glad I got the chance to see you turn Super Saiyan. Wish we had that when Freeza attacked us, not gonna lie."
Gine shrugged, "Me, too."
"Don't think this is the last you've seen of me," Sesamee said, "The moment I get the chance to reincarnate as a Saiyan or one of these Human hybrids, I'm taking it, mark my words. Then I'm going to surpass you."
"I'll watch my back."
Sesamee huffed, "Like I'd attack you from the back. Warriors like us? Straight in the face."
Fasha had her arms crossed, looking off in the distance, "I guess it's my turn."
"I moved on from yours and Bardock's deaths a long time ago, Fasha," Gine said.
"I never thought you were worthy of him," Fasha said, "It's not that I wanted him for myself. But Bardock was my commander. My teacher. When you joined our team I thought I was getting a sister. Another woman in the guy's club."
She shook her head, "If I ever thought you were capable of that kind of power-"
"And that is your mistake," Gine interrupted. Fasha shot Gine a glare of anger, but the reversed situation occurred to her, and she let Gine continue. Gine shook her head, "You only ever saw my lack of power. That's the only thing you cared about. The only thing any of you thought about. None of you cared to have the patience to see if I was capable of more. I was weak when you met me, and that's all that mattered. It never occurred to you that you were treating me the way the Elites treated every Low-Class warrior."
Gine gestured to the Lookout, "See what we're capable of, Fasha? Not just in power. Raditz, Shive, and Meys, they're all capable engineers. One of them is the head of the rebellions against King Cold. My daughter and grandson go through books faster than they can eat. I have helped save two planets from tyrants. The Saiyan's arrogance was never looking past the next fight. We never bothered doing anything for ourselves."
Gine took a breath, "But even power, and smarts, and rebellion aside? Even setting aside my being a cook? I'm still worth something. As a person. And you could never see that. Bardock did, even if he didn't understand it. But even that small comfort, of being seen? It's not enough. I deserved better."
She reached out,and squeezed Fasha's hand, "And so did you. Just as you were cruel to me, I've been cruel to others, even here on this planet. They found room to forgive me. I have plenty of room to forgive you, and Bardock, as well."
Fasha squeezed Gine's hand back, and smiled, "What Sesamee said goes for me, too, Gine. I'm coming back for you."
"You two are going to be trouble," Gine nodded.
"I believe we have two more," Kami said, waving his hand, and then thumping his staff. A pair of clouds with halos appeared before them.
"What is the meaning of this? I demand to be restored to my body!" one cloud demanded.
"Stuff it, Zorn," Sesamee said, grabbing the cloud, "I'm tossing you to King Yemma myself."
"UNHAND ME! I AM A ROYAL! YOU'RE NOTHING TO ME! I AM TO BE YOUR KIIIIIING!" Zorn objected as Sesamee dragged him away.
"That just leaves you," Gine said, crossing her arms at Bardock's cloud.
"I suppose so," Bardock said.
"I guess...Just, thank you, I suppose, for grabbing that second pod. I just wish you had thought to find a way to contact me first. You've wasted this once chance for a day back in the mortal world. Your chance to meet your sons, and your grandson, Bardock. We're lucky nobody got permanently hurt, to the point that's the biggest tragedy."
"I thought I was saving us. Giving us another chance. But you're right. I should have known you were out there, and I should have trusted you," Bardock said.
"I don't blame you. You didn't know how much I'd changed. I just wish you'd been the man I imagined you had been. I guess power reflects character," Gine said.
"None of it seemed fair. I thought having another shot meant we'd make up for that."
"There are entire planets that would think the same thing about us, Bardock. About you. If we hadn't wiped them out. Gosh, we'd just taken out a colony before we came here...The universe doesn't care about anything. We could blink out of existence at something else's whims. Some we can resist. Others we can't. At the end of it, you were one I could stop," Gine said, "I think that's why we get resurrected. That's the Heavens' way of making up for the fact there's no justice to the universe."
"Not much of a consolation."
"Make the most of it, then."
The Bardock cloud floated there, lost for words at that. Gine kissed it on the top.
"Goodbye, Bardock. Do better next time. I'll spare our children the truth about what happened here."
"Don't. No lies. There's no reason to spare them the truth. If my failure can teach them, make them stronger, then make sure they know."
"Then they'll know," Gine said. She gestured towards the buildings, and he followed Sesamee and Zorn off back to the Otherworld.
