A word from the author:
Apologies for the long delay. There were a few personal issues that kept me from releasing this chapter. I will not disclose any details on those due to privacy of people involved. Worry not, I'm far from done with this story: three more chapters have been fullly drafted, and are currently in varying stages of editing. The fourth chapter should not take long to process from here, and then we will keep going, hopefully in some more regular intervals.
Thank you very much for your patience and have a hopefully nice read!
The Princess and the Hero
Bulla let out a powerful sneeze. She barely managed to grab a tissue in time.
She inspected the book in front of her. It was about her favourite subject: politics.. Thankfully, she successfully protected it from the contents of her nose. She wondered for a moment if her sneeze was because of the dry, sterile air on their spaceship.
"Hey, I think someone's talking about you!" someone said in a playful tone.
Her co-pilot and teammate Pan walked over from the central chamber to the bridge where Bulla resided, watching over the radar screens. The whole vessel was relatively small, but spacey and comfortable, especially for two people. The ship was a passenger corvette before it got converted into a stealth ship. The central chamber, once the main passenger lounge, had been retrofitted into a sparring ring - because what else could two Saiyans locked up together on a ship do?
Bulla turned around to face the other girl. As usual, she saw a sweet, cheerful expression attached to a fourteen-year old with big black eyes, long black hair tied into a ponytail, and a dark purple outfit with green long sleeved undershirt. It would resemble a fighting gi if it didn't have the midriff exposed. The colour palette was supposed to honour one of their fighting mentors, Uncle Piccolo.
"Honey, please. That's an old superstition, and a rather dumb one at that." Bulla smiled.
"Don't be so sure. Maybe it's just another facet of sensing Chi!" Pan giggled in response.
Bulla scoffed. "Chi may be esoteric in nature, full of mysteries and unexplained phenomena–" She cringed a little as the other girl squeezed herself into her chair. "–but it's hard to believe that long range sneeze detection is one of them… what are you doing?"
Pan embraced her and rubbed her cheek against Bulla's.
"Don't be so rational all the time…" Pan giggled. "Come on, give me a hug…"
Bulla chuckled and grabbed Pan by her sides. "Ah, ah, ah, wish to hug something, go to your mommy." She then picked her up from the chair and placed her next to it.
"Awww, but my mom's back on Earth!" Pan moaned.
"Exactly," Bulla smirked.
Pan pouted in an adorable childish manner. Bulla smiled more gently, and picked up a mirror, to check the damage done to her hair and face. Fortunately, her beautiful shoulder length blue hair was still neat, kept safely in place by her red hairband. Bulla brushed some of it aside to reveal a face of a thirteen-year old, complete with big blue eyes, shapely nose and tall forehead. She put away the mirror.
In the meanwhile, Pan managed to stop pouting and grin. "Okay, crankypants, I'll just go have some fun by myself."
She moved back towards the central chamber, stretching her arms upwards. Bulla went back to her book.
Unfortunately, before she was able to finish a single page, the radar panel suddenly flashed red and started beeping repeatedly. Bulla recognised the pattern as a proximity alert.
She threw away the book and examined the panel. Pan jumped back inside and took her own pilot seat. She was the first to pick off the correct dot from the markings on the map.
"Look, look, it's them! A Cooler force ship!" she exclaimed happily.
"Indeed. And this is our target. Planet Wealdia." Bulla pointed at a larger dot. "Well known for its mineral produce in this sector. A golden opportunity that our friendly thugs over there–" She waved at the red dot. "–are looking to exploit."
"Oh, can we go beat them up?!" Pan exclaimed excitedly. "Where are they?" She took a glance at the cosmos behind the windows. She then stood up and glued her nose to the glass, apparently expecting to see a ship that happened to be only a couple million miles away.
Bulla rolled her eyes, before speaking out:
Bulla rolled her eyes at the other girl's antics. "Calm down, honey, you won't see them at this distance," she chided. "Remember, our primary task is to find out whether or not this is their first meeting with the locals and if they have established any sort of a working relationship."
"Oh, yes, sure…" Pan smiled embarrassedly.
"Now, let's rehearse our plan again. You will dress up, get between the villagers, and check the sentiment in town. Try to find out whether or not they expect visitors, and how they feel about them. Meanwhile, I'll sneak over to the Cooler Force and track them, while also tuning in to their communication channels. If we both confirm that the locals aren't working with the Coolers, you will reveal yourself, warn them and offer our aid."
"Hey, why do you always get the sneaky parts? Can't I sneak around the bad guys too?" Pan pleaded.
"Sweetie, you're much better at blending in than sneaking around. Besides, I'm much better with technology. I am the daughter of Bulma Brief, after all," Bulla puffed her chest out proudly.
"Hey, my daddy is Son Gohan, one of the most famous space tech researchers in the world!" Pan grinned. "And besides, who made you the leader here?"
"I did, because as the Princess of all Saiyans and the future Queen of Earth I'm far more qualified for leadership than you. You are much better at being a hero, like your two grandpas, Mr Satan and Goku." Bulla smiled.
Pan pouted, clearly not taking the bait.
"What is it, are you telling me that you're not up to the challenge?" Bulla asked provocatively.
Pan sprung up like a bowstring. She took her and her grandfather's signature victory pose, with one hand raised high in the air into a V sign, and shouted: "The Hero of Earth never backs down from a challe…" She suddenly froze, before groaning out loud. Bulla smiled at her mischievously.
"Exactly, sweetheart." She chuckled. "Now go, and be a hero to these people!"
Pan pouted even harder, having been painfully outplayed, as usual. She turned on her heel and headed for the locker that held a Wealdian costume. It was complete with leaves, vines and flowers that usually comprised their hair, pieces of tree bark covering their forearms and shins, as well as a green skin dye, one of their usual skin colours.
Bulla observed Pan for a bit, before picking up her own disguise: a black skin-tight top to cover her white chestpiece, and a balaclava. She did not need any other gear, as the rest of her usual Saiyan armour was completely black and matte. She put on the top, then went back to the control board. Having double checked that all of their stealth systems were active and that the landing manoeuvre had been initiated properly, she put on her safety belt, and shouted to Pan: "Better strap in, we're about to land!"
Pan walked over to her chair, looking like a flower fairy in her disguise. Bulla laughed out loud at the sight, but only got a glare in return. She giggled again before focusing on the planet that appeared in front of their ship.
A failed illusion
Pan scratched her scalp between the leaves and vines that made up the wig she was wearing. She then rubbed her face, lost her balance again, and cursed lightly under her breath, as Bulla giggled yet again.
The two of them were on the final approach to the planet. Their ship was fully cloaked, but there was a possibility that someone might hear it approaching; to prevent being detected, it slowed down to a crawl and headed for the wastelands between the cities of Limera and Oakino. The latter was a centre of this world's mining and trading activities. It was the unofficial capital of the whole world, since it was the most technologically advanced, and the only one with a spaceport.
A spaceship crawling still meant quite a lot of rapid movement and nausea-inducing manoeuvring. And as Pan couldn't use her Chi to support herself, she kept almost falling out of her chair whenever she tried to scratch some more. She prayed for the landing to end, feeling that she was about to vomit. For a moment she wondered if sitting in a washing machine on centrifuge mode would be less jumpy.
Finally, the ship made one last jerking motion, as it suddenly levelled to the planet's surface and then descended into a small hollow between a few hills. Pan sighed in relief, recognising the final touchdown stage.
Bulla stood up, while Pan took a moment to stabilise.
"Here we go. Let's go through it one more time. Do you remember your backstory, and your mission?" the princess smiled.
"Yes, I do…" Pan groaned, trying to keep her lunch in her stomach.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Bulla wagged her finger at her. "I won't let you go until you repeat it one more time."
Pan groaned even louder, hiccuped, and spoke: "Yes, yes, I'm from Limera, I came to catch a flight to planet Detergia, which is in five hours, so I can wander about, I'm supposed to find out if the locals are buddies with the Cooler Force, yada yada yada. Stop being annoying!"
Chuckling, Bulla checked her scouter. They still had some time before the Cooler Force arrived, but the scouter could detect the locals if they were too close to the ship.
"Well then, it's time to go. You head straight for town, I'll track their ship and get close."
"Wait, they're still a few hours out! What are you going to do before then?" Pan squinted at her.
"Very important things. Track their trajectory, hack their communications, inspect the landing zones and the suburb areas…"
Pan knew that all of that combined would take her an hour at most. "You're going to slack off all day, aren't you," she said grumpily.
"Relax, you're going on a sightseeing trip." Bulla smiled cheerfully. She wasn't even wearing her disguise, because obviously there was not a blasted need for it.
"Uh-huh…" Pan rolled her eyes.
"Let's not keep the Wealdians waiting. Come on!" Bulla clapped her hands.
Pan stopped herself from saying a few nasty things about her friend, before letting out a big sigh and scratching herself again. Unfortunately, she couldn't rein in her royal knob of a friend the usual way, but she had the second best thing to do: walk out of the ship and do something else.
She couldn't fly, for the same reason she couldn't resist the ship shaking: her Chi signature was too well known among the Freeza Force. Therefore, she just walked towards a road connecting Limera and Oakino. Approaching by the road was less suspicious than straight from the ship. If anyone was watching this area from the city, it would give them a clear read on the ship's position.
As she walked, she noticed that the civilisation was much closer than she had previously assumed. What she took for trees growing in front of the skyline turned out to be homes. Traditional Wealdian buildings were grown from trees, with many chambers fitting inside their hollowed out trunks. Such massive house-trees were positioned in relatively large distances from one another, leaving a lot of room for gardens.
Once she got closer, she noticed a lot of jarring mismatches. First of all, the road she walked on was made out of some concrete-like mineral, and it was split into lanes with painted stripes, much like you would expect on Earth. Second, she saw satellite dishes attached to the tree houses, and electricity cables hanging from their branches. There were security cameras, electric doorbells, reinforced doors, fiberglass windows… everything you could expect on a futuristic Earth house – except these were glued to a tree.
This weird contrast between nature and science became even more jarring as Pan reached the buildings of the actual city. The house-trees became intermixed with glass and metal tree-like constructs, with multiple branch-like platforms hanging in the air.
A dryad forest had a baby with West City, Pan thought.
Further down the road, she observed more and more traditional domes and spires. The central square surprised her: next to the skyscrapers, there were a few massive trees with dozens of balconies and windows on their sides. The roots of these trees were arranged into fences that surrounded a few leisure areas around the main square.
She stood in place for a moment and simply admired the view. These missions were worth it for such experiences, even if her reason to be here was rather grim.
As she eyeballed the skyscrapers, she heard a voice behind her: "Hey there! I haven't seen you around town before! Where are you from?"
Pan froze, her chest filling with sudden cold and her expression shifting into a freaked grimace, before she calmed herself down and turned around with an uncomfortable smile. "Oh, hey, I'm from Limera!" she said, trying to sound casual. "How are you?"
It was a girl, roughly her age or perhaps a bit older. Like all Wealdians, she had vines and leaves for hair resembling maple tree's, and tree bark on her uncovered shins and forearms. Her skin was yellowish-brown, like the interior of a tree and her face was complete with big green eyes and a cheerful smile. Which Pan could have sworn flickered for a moment as the girl squinted at her suspiciously. However, before Pan was sure it happened at all, the expression shifted back to a cheerful one.
"I'm good, thank you! We don't see one of you here often! What brings you to our city?"
Pan's outfit, made of completely natural components, mostly linen, was not a usual sight in this city. Limerans, as well as many other Wealdians from less developed areas, used very basic technology. Oakino however was an industrial region, therefore the girl wore something you would have found on an Earth martial artist: knee long spandex pants covered by a short girly kimono. Pan had a few like those herself.
Pan wondered for a moment if her backstory made much sense, but it was too late to do anything about it now. "Ummm… I came here to use the space port." She pointed at the massive round building on the other end of the square. "I want to catch a trip to Detergia!"
Pan forced confidence back into her voice, but she couldn't deny she was getting a bad feeling about this. This time, she was certain that the other girl gave her a suspicious look, before putting on a sympathetic expression. "Oh, that's unfortunate! The cruiser departed recently, which means it's at least half a day before the next flight."
"Oh, man…" Pan managed to pretend that she was disappointed with this information.
"Hey, how do you like it here in our city? Enjoying the views so far?" The girl smiled.
"Ummm, I…" Pan got in a tight spot. This was the exact type of situation she was meant to avoid, especially since she did not have enough information about the Limerans and their habits. There was not enough time to do a thorough research when this mission started. She was forced to guess at how someone with her purported background wound react to technology. Hostility? Displeasure? Disinterest? What was the most expected mood? What was plausible and what was not?
"Hey, are you there? Crast's got your tongue?" the girl joked, jolting Pan out of her mental scrambling.
Pan wondered for a moment what the hell a crast was, before replying: "Y… yeah, I guess. Not what I'm used to, but… it's pretty cool, heh…" Pan tried to stay positive under that piercing glare, but yet another squint told her that she must have shot off another gaffe.
The tree girl's eyes became peaceful again."By the way, what's your name?"
"Pan," she said, and then felt a pang of anxiety, wincing internally at her stupid, beginner's mistake. She wasn't supposed to tell anyone her real name! She was undercover! She realised that she'd forgotten her pseudonym anyway. Maybe the other girl won't think anything of it, she thought hopefully.
But Pan's heart sank as the other girl reacted to the name, her eyes widening for a split second before she forced her face back into a cheerful grin. "Pan, huh? Nice to meet you, I'm Maple!"
Yup, she definitely heard of her.
"Nice to meet… you… too…" Pan felt the most powerful itch yet, most likely amplified by the stress. She scratched herself for a good few seconds, but it just didn't want to stop.
Maple squinted at her for a moment, before speaking out: "Hey, everything alright? You didn't catch lime borers by any chance, did you?"
"Lime borers?" Pan was stumped. "What're those?"
Maple gave her a proper long look this time, and Pan knew she blew yet another part of the cover story.
"Only the most pesky parasite from your hometown that causes you to scratch all over your body, especially your head."
"Oh, that, sorry, I'm a bit…" Pan sighed. "I think I just need to give my hair some good brushing, that's all…"
She heard no response. Maple merely stood there, her creepy smile morphing into the expression of a mom who just caught her child doing something naughty.
Pan sighed loudly, "I blew it completely, didn't I?" she said ruefully.
"Yes, indeed." With these words, Maple walked over, took off Pan's wig, and brushed her hair aside, letting it fall down to its full length. "You got so many things wrong, that I don't even know where to start. I do know where to finish though: we Wealdians don't have hair and we certainly don't brush our foliage." She giggled.
"Yeah, that was pretty stupid. I mean, how would you even brush leaves and vines? With a rake?"
Maple laughed, cheerfully and honestly. Pan giggled a bit too.
"We prune and weed it every now and again. Now that I've verified my suspicions and got rid of your so-called cover…" She suddenly grabbed Pan's hands. "Are you really Pan, the Hero of Earth and the honorary member of the Galactic Patrol? I've heard that you are a Super Saiyan! I've always wanted to fight one of you!"
"I, umm…" Pan became completely flustered at this sudden revelation.
Maple stepped away and pointed a finger at her. "Now, don't you think I'll go easy on you just because you're a cute girl! Members of the Galactic Patrol aren't welcome here! Especially if they are dirty spies! It is my duty to capture you and pass you over to the elders for a judgement! If you wish to keep your freedom, you'll have to fight me!"
"Ummm… but I can't! I don't want to fight you!" Pan finally managed to collect herself. "I came here to help you!"
"Seriously?" Maple squinted at her. "Help us by spying on us? And with what, If I may ask?"
"I… can't say…" Pan knew now that her story didn't make much sense without explaining that she was after the Cooler and Freeza Forces and needed to discover the locals' loyalties.
"Hah! Then don't expect me to let you go! Come on, fight me!" She made a beckoning gesture.
"No, I can't!" Pan pleaded.
Maple looked at her a bit condescendingly, before saying, "Seriously, for a supposed hero, you disappoint me. First you show up here in disguise, then you refuse to fight… Not much of a hero, are you?" Pan glared at her, her irritation rising, albeit mostly at herself. "Oh, getting angry, are we?" Maple grinned maliciously. "Come on, show me some of that golden fury!"
"I won't!" Pan almost shouted.
"Very well, then consider yourself in my captivity!" Maple grabbed her hand. "It's time to visit our elders and pass the judgement on you! Come on, don't be shy! I'll be gentle with you." She winked.
Pan scoffed and pouted, only to suddenly feel a strong yank, as Maple dragged her forcefully through the street.
"Hey, you call that gentle?" The Saiyan groaned.
"I thought that a Hero of Earth could handle a bit of tough love." the tree girl giggled. "Didn't know you were such a delicate flower! Would you like me to carry you instead?"
Pan pouted even harder, slowly getting all red. If it wasn't for the Cooler Force nearby, she would not hesitate for a second to fight. She held her tongue though. Any further arguments with this annoying girl could result in an involuntary awakening of the Super Saiyan power, which would reveal her identity and location to any Chi sensitive machine or creature on this planet. And this solar system.
Therefore, she allowed herself to be dragged back where they came from, into the vicinity of the central square and the space port. Maple pulled her near a particularly elaborate construct of trees and brown stonework that resembled tree bark. Pan assumed that this must have been some governmental building, perhaps a town hall.
Once by the entrance, Maple suddenly looked upwards at one of the windows. She then inhaled deeply.
"HEYYY, MASTER BORR! GRAND ELDERS! WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY! PLEASE GET DOWN HERE!"
Pan had to rapidly cover her ears, as the tree girl screamed loudly enough to cause small tremors in the local area. Even covered, her ears rang, and she stood a tad stunned.
Before she could recover from dizziness, she felt herself being dragged to a small platform in front of the building, akin to a theatre stand with stairs.
A leaf-smothered face popped out of a window. "Jeez, Maple, couldn't you have used the intercom?"
"Nope! I wanted the whole town to hear!" Maple screamed back, irritating Pan's ears again.
Indeed, many townsfolk now turned towards the town hall and the stand. They slowly gathered all around, while a few elders walked out of the building and onto the stand. They were dressed in decoratively embroidered, druid-like robes. All of them were staring at Pan with curiosity: apparently a haired humanoid was a rarity to them.
"Thank you for your attention, revered elders!" Maple yelled to them. "Apologies for not announcing myself, but I've stumbled upon something very important! Behold: Pan of Planet Earth, a Super Saiyan and a spy in the service of the Galactic King!"
She gestured at Pan. The Saiyan found no reason to bother denying this accusation, as Maple still held her wig, and her face was still marked with the fake Wealdian skin tone.
"Hey…" She waved at the crowd meekly.
"I've called all of you here to pass judgement on her!" Maple went on. "Our laws are very strict concerning off-world spies! I recommend trial by combat. Against me." She smirked and giggled soundlessly.
Pan shuddered at the notion. If the elders agreed to it, the little maniac would get her wish, and Pan would be forced to reveal her Chi.
"Now, now, let's not jump to any conclusions yet." Pan sighed in relief, inspecting the speaker. It was an elder with the most elaborate robe, probably their leader. His leaved brow made him seem as a bush. What appeared to be branches or lianas were poking out of his head. In his hands he held a small plant, waving his hand over it as if he was casting a spell, giving it a faint glow. However, for some reason, he was focusing only on the two subjects of the assembly.
"There's no jumping required, Master Borr! The suspect freely admits to being a spy, don't you, sweetheart?" Maple turned towards Pan.
"Yes… I do." Pan spoke meekly. "But I have no ill intentions! It's true that I was sent here on the orders from the Galactic King, but he means you no harm!"
"Hah! He wants our minerals, what else could he want?" Maple pointed her finger at Pan. "Every single big fish in this sector has been constantly salivating over us ever since we started mining them. After all, who would have thought that a planet inhabited by dumb tree folk holds enough iron, carbon and cobalt for an entire space fleet? You are here to steal those, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not! How could I even steal mineral supplies by myself? I was sent here to prevent that!" Pan scoffed.
"Oh, seriously? So who else wants them so badly?" Maple crossed her arms.
Pan cursed lightly under her breath. She slowly dragged herself into a corner, from which she could only reveal that she was after the Cooler Force. Just saying it out in the open was a pure gamble: if they were in league together, then the Coolers could either retreat or signal Freeza himself, both of which were unwanted scenarios. However, If they were not, then there was a chance that the Wealdians would let her go or perhaps even let her and Bulla ambush the invaders.
She decided to try it. If there actually was a Cooler Force collaborator here, then there was nothing to lose.
"The Cooler Force! There is a ship approaching with some of their elite soldiers! They mean to get you on Freeza's side, either by treaty or by force!" She clenched her fists. Now the cat was out of the bag, and the rest was up to fate.
After a short silence interwoven with some worried murmurs in the crowd, Maple suddenly smiled widely at Pan. "You're after the Coolers? Why didn't you just say so? We were tracking that wreck of a ship of theirs for weeks! We can beat them up together!" She seemed to be almost beaming.
"Maple!" Borr shouted scoldingly.
"Oops!" Maple covered her mouth, apparently saying a bit too much. Pan giggled. She was not the only one there with a big mouth.
"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Maple growled, causing Pan to laugh a bit louder.
"Now, now, let's stay calm." Borr spoke, approaching Pan. "It is true that we are no friends of the Cooler Force, or their parent organisation Freeza Force." He squinted at Maple, obviously reluctant to reveal all his cards. "And if you are not their friends either, then why wouldn't you approach us directly?"
"We were not sure if we could trust you," Pan replied. "We thought you might already be in league with them…"
"Hey, how dare you!" Maple shouted. "We would never be friends with those murderous monsters!"
"Maple, calm down. This is a valid point, my dear." Borr turned back to Pan. "We are not in league with them, but there is no way to prove that to you, is there? Just as there is no way to easily confirm that you are indeed Pan of the Galactic Patrol." He smiled.
"Umm… I guess…"
"How about I dismiss those doubts then?" A sudden voice echoed through the street.
The Princess's theatre
Contrary to what she said to Pan, Bulla had no intention of slacking off, nor of trying to do any techno magic against the Cooler Force ship… At least not yet.
Instead, she waited for her friend to gain enough distance, and then followed her, tracking her presence with the Chi sense. As they have known each other nearly their entire lives, it was easy for Bulla to keep tabs on Pan, even if the latter held her power level down.
She snuck between the fancy buildings and trees, enjoying the plethora of bushes and tree branches she could hide in.
As expected, Pan did not grab much attention at first, her Wealdian costume being realistic enough. However, once that Maple girl started bugging her, Bulla pretty much gave up on her friend and prepared for plan B.
She remained in hiding, following the pair as they toured the city, and chuckling at Pan's gaffe upon gaffe. She was not even mad at her: it was a relatively tense situation, and the Hero of Earth was not used to questioning, nor was she expected to deal with any. And they had limited data to work with in the first place.
Therefore, when Pan was revealed to the public and spoke of the Cooler Force, Bulla took off her mask. Initially, nobody even noticed her non-Wealdian appearance, all focused on the stand.
However, all she needed to do was to shout: "How about I dismiss those doubts then?"
She approached the gathering on the stand, facing master Borr, who stared back at her with a bit widened eyes, clearly not expecting her.
"Greetings, everyone. I am an envoy to the Galactic King. Here is a signed invitation to discuss a treaty between Wealdia and the Galactic Kingdom. It carries the Galactic King's own signature and is imbued with a biomarker and a weave-chip to further validate its authenticity." Bulla waved an open messenger's canister, the document visible within.
Maple turned towards her. "And who are you all of a sudden? How did you get here?"
"Bulla Eschalot Vegeta Brief, Princess of all Saiyans, pleasure to meet you." Bulla bowed lightly. "And I heard of you. You're Maple of Oakino, the youngest apprentice of the Wealdian Space Defence Force, renowned for your amazing strength!"
"That's me!" Maple held her hips, and puffed out her chest proudly. "Wait, Bulla? That Bulla, daughter of Prince Vegeta himself?"
"Honey, it was implied in my title. There is no other Saiyan Royal Family in this universe." Bulla replied condescendingly.
"Hey, don't be a smartass." Maple glared at her, still smiling.
"She's like that all the time." Pan giggled.
Bulla ignored them. "Grand elders of Wealdia, would you be willing to hear the Galactic King out at an official conference? His Majesty is most interested in establishing a trade relationship with you, and he offers you protection in return. Our armed forces will deal with anyone willing to do you harm."
"Hah! He really thinks we will just let him vassalise us for free? Want us in your service? Have the guts to conquer us first, princess!" Maple shouted at her.
"We do not wish to conquer you, but merely to establish an alliance as equal partners. Mind you, that not everyone in the universe is as nice as we are. The approaching Cooler Force is likely to demand tribute and servitude to Freeza. Should you refuse us, you will have to deal with them alone." Bulla smirked.
"Now, that sounds almost like an ultimatum, my lady," Borr said, smiling.
"Because it is. However, not by our working nor intent. If Freeza's empire did not exist, our offer would be exactly the same. In fact, the Galactic King has been planning this visit for years, ever since you have developed as an industrial nation."
"Curious, that he remembered about this plan right about now." Borr's smile broadened.
"Freeza forced his hand. As he did yours." Bulla smiled even wider.
"I must admit, you intrigue me, young lady. I would be most interested to discuss further details inside." He pointed at the town hall. He then turned towards the crowd. "Dear people of Wealdia! The Council of the Elders and the Galactic King's envoy Princess Bulla shall discuss a potential alliance between our nations. Fret not however, for any decision regarding the final treaty shall be left with you, the people, just as it always is! For now, we rule these two young ladies innocent of any ill intentions, and consider them guests of our fair planet. This hearing is now over. Thank you for your attention!"
With these words, the crowd clapped for a moment, before dispersing.
The elder turned back to her with a smile, and beckoned her towards the town hall, saying: "Well then, let us go inside. Such a discussion would be best held over tea, don't you think?"
"Indeed. Lead the way." Bulla replied.
She smiled confidently. She knew it wouldn't be very hard to convince him. After all, a choice between an alliance with a relatively peaceful nation or submission to a tyrant was a rather easy one.
Intermission at the fountain
Pan sat down on the stairs leading to the town hall… only to dart inside, once the crowd of onlookers became annoying enough. And it was the right choice: instead of the expected dusty and stuffy hallway she found something more akin to a small park with plenty of vines and leaves at the walls and a fountain in the middle.
Surprisingly enough, she found Maple sitting by this very fountain, almost lying down on the bench-like growth surrounding it. She held her hands behind her head, letting them and her hair growth laze into the water.
Upon noticing Pan, she rose up and shook the water off, smiling. "Hello! Weren't you invited to the big boring meeting?"
"I was, but there is no point in going," Pan shrugged her shoulders. "Now they'll talk for hours about trade routes, stamp duties, tariffs and all that boring stuff. And you? Shouldn't you be in there to guard your elders or something?"
"Nah, I don't like boring meetings either." She chuckled. "And I have no need to guard them from anything…" Her tone suddenly became serious, as did the look in her eye. "Or do I…?" She glared at Pan.
"We're friendly, I promise!" Pan yelped, waving her hands in front of her.
"Haha! I know. I'm just messing with you. It may sound weird now, but I trust you guys. There's something sweet and peaceful about you."
"Really? You mean, both of us?" Pan squinted at Maple.
"Welp, you in particular. The oh so great and powerful Princess of all Saiyans could take the stick out of her behind sometimes." She chuckled, and Pan laughed with her.
"Well, how about I shove it up yours instead, so you stop gossiping and do some real work?"
A bossy Saiyan Princess appeared unexpectedly, followed by Master Borr.
"You're welcome to try." Maple stood up to face her, with a predatory grin.
"Perhaps later. For now, we have a plan." Bulla smiled.
"What plan? Weren't the two of you going to discuss all that trade stuff?" Pan squinted at her.
"What for? That's a conversation for Master Borr to have with the Galactic King. We focused on getting him there safely and keeping his planet secure while he's away."
"I am most grateful for this offer in fact," Borr smiled. "But pray tell me again, why not call your fathers straight away instead of facing the danger by yourselves?"
"Because if there are no elite warriors in this crew, then luring our own elites out here could grant Freeza an opening. Which we would rather avoid. Trust me, Master Borr, we should be more than enough for Cooler's thugs."
"Don't forget I'm here too! I won't just sit idly by while my planet is in danger!" Maple beat her chest with her fist.
"That is most fortunate, because our plan involves you as well." Bulla grinned.
A successful illusion
Maple was a bit baffled by the plan. "Remind me again, why don't we just sneak onto the ship and knock out everyone we see silently?"
"Because if we do that and they have a Wasavi in their ranks, we are pretty much dead meat or fresh hostages." Pan murmured. "It's better to hide in plain sight. Let them think that they have two naughty children running around, rather than risk them detecting two spies."
Maple nodded. "Makes sense." She then smiled. "This will be fun. Haven't tried something like this before."
Pan smiled, and rubbed her face again. Maple had refreshed the Saiyan's skin paint and applied some herself. She also brought two wigs, as she was a relatively known figure both on this world and outside it. Pan was grateful for getting a new one, as it meant that at the very least her hair didn't itch anymore. The two of them were now quite unrecognisable, even by a Wasavi.
Wasavi Force was one of Freeza's most recent ideas. The old bastard gathered quite a menagerie of fighters of various power levels, some of them from different universes, many of them reaching what they considered the 'god level', much like the forms of Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue her grandpa Goku and uncle Vegeta used to transform into. The Wasavis already had quite a grim reputation, even more so than the old Ginyu Force did in the past.
The toroidal Cooler Force ship finally revealed itself from behind the hills, as Pan and Maple approached it. Once they saw it, they both lied down and crawled up a small hill to take a closer look.
"Expected something a bit more… threatening…" Maple said. "And it looks worn down too."
"It's a corvette, one of the smaller ships in the Freeza Fleet. There can't be more than thirty people in that thing. Assuming a full crew, which is doubtful," Pan said, inspecting the ship carefully.
"Hey, look, there's one right there!" Maple pointed at a soldier pacing around the perimeter of the ship. It had high shark-fin like ridges on top of their head like a short-jawed crocodile. He wore a standard-issue Freeza Force armour with oversized shoulder pads.
"We need to know how many there are and how powerful. Okay then, let's stick to the plan. Remember, no rushing in and beating everyone up, okay?"
"Yes Mom, it's not my first stealth mission," Maple moaned.
"Sorry, you didn't strike me as a stealthy kind of person," the Saiyan smirked.
"Big talk coming from a chick who got her cover blown in ten seconds," the tree girl giggled.
"Hey, was it my fault you glued yourself to me like a creep?" Pan pouted.
"Any-bloody-body from Oakino would have figured you out in ten seconds," Maple chuckled a bit louder.
The Saiyan pouted more deeply.
"Oh, don't get all uppity, sweet cheeks. Come on, it's time to pretend that we're dumb little girls playing ball," Maple smiled.
She lifted up their 'ball', which in reality was a few steel beams squeezed together by her own hands, probably weighing about a ton. Pan was still shocked that this girl was that strong, especially that she could not tell that at all from her aura. The little Wealdian had near perfect Chi control, not letting even an ounce of her energy shine through her suppression.
"Well, okay then." Pan woke up from the short consideration. "Let's get there once he's on the other side." She pointed at the guard.
She made two victory signs and said: "I can pretend that I'm a dumb seven-year-old if I want to." in an overtly high pitched, silly voice.
"Haha!" Maple had to cover her mouth. "You're adorable! And hey…" she cleared her throat. "I can do that too!" She also spoke in a squeaky voice.
Pan laughed out loud. "Seriously, you sound more retarded than cute!" She could barely stop herself from howling with laughter.
Maple glared at her with a murderous smirk, but Pan thought nothing of it.
"Hey, that guard's gone. Now's our chance! Head for the main entrance, it's time to play!" Pan giggled, sliding down the slope and picking up the pace. Her companion's footsteps thudded behind.
Soon, they were at the entrance.
"Hey, catch!" Maple shrieked, still with that squeaky tone. This time, without keeping her voice down.
Pan giggled and prepared to catch the ball, only for it to strike her gut and force out her breath.
Maple laughed out loud, almost wheezing. Pan glared at her, but she stayed in character.
"Hey, that's not fair! No belly throws!"
Maple stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry just as a Cooler soldier came from the other side of the ship.
"Hey, what do you two brats think you're doing? Get away from here!" He yelled.
"Awww, please sir, we're just playing!" Pan put on the cutest possible face she could muster.
"You have a really cool ship!" Maple smiled at the soldier. "Can we check it out?"
"What even… No, of course not!" he sounded flustered. "Get lost, before you get hurt, dumb kids!"
"Hey, you're mean!" Maple pointed a finger at him.
"Look, look! What a cool switch! What does it do?" Pan pointed at the hatch controls on one of the ship's inner walls. She ran towards it.
"Wait for me!" Maple squeaked, following her.
"Wait, what? Hey! No running inside!" the alien shouted.
Pan and Maple made it there before him. The button closed the hatch, as expected. The unfortunate guardsman banged at it a few times, then went silent. He probably prepared some other way to open the door, but they did not intend to wait for him.
"You go left, I go right. Notice any high power level, let me know!" Pan pointed down the circular corridor. It connected to every room in this ship, allowing them to check all of them in one fell swoop.
"Got it!" Maple nodded, and ran off with the ball.
Pan pulled out her scouter, and ran, checking every room she passed by. Scouter would get fooled easily by a skillful suppression, but it should detect even a fly at that range, allowing Pan to focus her Chi sense at detecting any suppressed energy.
Fortunately, the few soldiers that she located had very weak total energy. They all suppressed their power, but they did not have much of it to hide in the first place, the strongest of them having a power level equal to hers from when she was two years old.
Which meant that unless Maple found something, the only threat would be the soldiers in the city.
She wondered if Bulla had made contact with them already.
Tyrant's messengers
A bit earlier...
Bulla sat down in a dark alley between the town hall and the head court.
She tracked down a few Chi signatures that were currently headed for the stand on the central square. She did not find any of them familiar or particularly powerful, but she did not want to risk revealing herself yet.
Remember, if any of the Wasavis are around, let me know, so I can contact my father and call him in there. If you stall for time, I should be able to enter Super Saiyan 3 for a short time, enough for dad or uncle Goku to Instant Transmission to this world.
That was her own instruction directed at Maple and Pan, should they find any members of the Wasavi Force. She recalled it whilst staring at the street and the stand. Master Borr was standing out there, ready to receive his new guests.
The moment she began to consider moving around to check on them, they walked into the square. There were five of them in total, or various shapes and sizes, all wearing standard Freeza Force armours.
Except the one in front, sporting short blonde hair and blue skin on an otherwise human body. His armour had only one shoulder pad and the Cooler Force symbol on the abdomen piece.
Master Borr opened his arms. "Welcome, travellers! What brings you to our fair planet? You are always welcome to arrive via our space port. There is a refuelling centre there, as well as leisure facilities…"
The blondie glared at him. "Cut the crap, old man. We're here on the orders of mighty Lord Freeza!"
Bulla giggled soundlessly. This was no other than Salza, one of the older members of Cooler's Armored Squad. The Galactic Patrolmen nicknamed it the Discount Ginyu Force. As far as she was aware, he did not pose any real threat.
"Oh, we've heard of Lord Freeza. Why did he send you here? Does he perhaps wish to convey a message?"
"Message? Lord Freeza does not 'message'." He demands, and his demands are to be followed all across the universe!" His ruthless corsair persona was laudable. "Rejoice, for he has taken a liking to your planet's mining capacity! He will let you live in the glory of his Empire, if you send eighty percent of your produce to our shipyards!"
Borr pretended to be flustered. "But, my dear boy, such an expense would cripple our finances! We need to sell or utilise at least forty percent of our produce in order to provide for our people!"
"That is none of Lord Freeza's concern. You would be wise to think of a way to pay up." Salza moved closer to Borr. "Otherwise, Lord Freeza might reconsider giving out your planet to a more… accommodating species." He towered over the old man, who backed down.
"Yes, I see…" Bulla knew that the elder had lost any delusions of there being an alternative.
Now it was just up to Pan and Maple. If they verified all of the people on the ship, then she could step in.
The illusion cracking
"All clear on my end!" Pan proclaimed proudly.
"On mine too. All standard Freeza mooks!" Maple gave a thumbs-up.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Pan smiled, squinting at her.
"I detected your unusual power level despite your feeble attempts at suppressing it, so, yeah, I'm sure!" Maple giggled.
Pan pouted again and touched the intercom on her scouter.
"Bulla, all clear. No Wasavis in sight!"
"All clear here! The leader's Salza!" the princess responded, amused. "Stepping in now, clear the ship out!"
"You heard?" Pan turned to Maple.
"Clear… out… music to my ears…" Maple almost drooled.
"Hey… you… brats…" They heard a tired voice. "Get off the ship… or else…" It was that unfortunate guardsman. He had managed to get on the ship, only to run around aimlessly until he found them.
"Hey, paps, want to play with us?" Maple flexed her ball, reverting to her fake cute voice.
Pan looked at Maple and Maple at Pan. Now it was finally clear what that ball was for.
The two of them started giggling uncontrollably.
"Seriously? Play with you? Grrr… I will shove that ball right up your…"
Maple threw the ball high up in the air, and Pan jumped up and kicked it straight into his face, knocking him out cold.
"Okay, let's play some balls!" Maple roared with a thundering voice that echoed all throughout the ship.
A few unfortunate Cooler Force soldiers stuck their heads out of corridor doors. Big mistake, as Maple jumped over to the ball, kicking it around. One or two were hit as they stepped out into the corridor.
Pan smirked. "You think you're so fancy with your ball? Check this out!"
She transformed into a Super Saiyan. Her body was showered with a yellow aura, her hair standing up and becoming golden while her power grew multiple times over almost instantly.
The mooks became her playthings, as she knocked them out with immense speed, bolting around in a blink.
Maple managed to follow her movements, her eyes and mouth wide. Once all the soldiers were down, she walked over to the Saiyan.
"That… was… BEAUTIFUL!" She shrieked with a voice worthy of her pretended child persona. "Can you teach me how to do that? Please, please!"
"That… was… BEAUTIFUL!" She shrieked with a voice worthy of her pretended child persona. "Can you teach me how to do that? Please, please!"
"Sorry, Super Saiyan is only for Saiyans!" Pan smiled proudly.
"Awww…" Maple appeared a bit down.
Pan smiled at her warmly, but then looked around in surprise as her senses tingled. Something felt… off. The energy signatures in the city area were giving her the creeps.
She scowled, trying to figure the oddness out – and then her eyes widened.
At least one of the Cooler Force folk was still there.
And Bulla's power was diminished.
The looming shadow...
A few moments earlier...
Once Bulla sensed the carnage in Cooler's ship, she stepped out of the shadows. Before any of Salza's men could even blink, she bolted over to them and chopped at their necks, knocking them unconscious. She turned right in time to block Salza's attack.
"Excuse me, Mr Salza, isn't it? I'm sorry to say this, but your visit is utterly pointless. Wealdia is under our protection now," Bulla smirked.
Salza initially appeared to be completely stunned, as he jumped away. Only to suddenly grin menacingly, "Ah yes, Vegeta's meddlesome little brat. Lord Freeza is much looking forward to having your head handed to him on a silver platter." He clicked his knuckles.
"And you're going to deliver? Please, if you know who I am, you should know that right now it's a good time to either piss your pants or run for your life. Probably both. So unless you're hiding a Wasavi in your pocket…" Bulla spoke condescendingly.
"No, my dear," he interrupted. "I do not hide any of them. Nor do I need to.."
His Chi suddenly fluctuated.
"I AM A WASAVI MYSELF!" He roared.
Bulla felt a sudden wave of cold wash over her, as his aura spiked to unprecedented levels.
She felt a searing pain in her abdomen. Then she was sent hurtling backwards a couple hundred metres, flying through a building and crashing into another one.
She felt another surge of Chi. She looked up weakly to notice Salza standing over her.
"Bulla!" A voice screamed.
Pan flew over in her Super Saiyan form. However, she froze, pale.
A moment later, Bulla realised why.
There was an energy blade at her throat.
Princess's pride
Pan shuddered, witnessing her friend in such a predicament, not sure what to do. After such an easy time knocking out and capturing all of those thugs on the ship, facing one who could stand up to them threw her off guard.
Maple had jumped over to stand at her side. The Wealdian was fast, but she could not catch up to a Super Saiyan in distress.
"Once I get my hands on him, I'm going to shove all my bark right up his…" She growled.
"Ah, ah, ah! No sudden movements, ladies. Otherwise, your precious princess might get a burn, or a cut!" Salza moved the Chi blade a bit closer to Bulla's throat.
Pan judged the distance to him, wondering if she was capable of transforming into Super Saiyan 2 and bolting over to him before he could cut her throat. She was already highly tense and angry, pushing herself over the edge would not take far.
However, that did not come to pass. Instead, she heard a pained chuckle.
"My dear Pan… do you seriously have so little faith in your Princess?"
Bulla caught Salza's blade with her bare hand. It was scorching, and some blood oozed down her arm, but she effectively immobilised him.
"You– You crazy… Get off!" He shouted, as he tried to pull the blade away. Failing that, he dispersed it, and threw a lighting-quick right.
Only to have his first caught. By the bloodied hand no less.
"I am the future of the Earthlings and of the Saiyans. I am the one who will lead them to greatness. I am the one they will look up to. And thus…" She grinned at Salza, as the yellow aura danced around her. "I cannot allow such a piece of trash to embarrass me in public."
Her aura crackled around her violently, only to surge rapidly with a thundering roar. The Princess of all Saiyans chuckled maniacally, almost sounding in pain, as her now golden hair seemed to grow even longer, while all of her body tensed and jerked. Pan and Maple gazed upon her in awe.
Salza shrieked in pain, as his hand was being crushed by a grip becoming exponentially more powerful.
He looked into the eyes full of fire, bewitched by the feeling of utmost contempt born of immense pride.
"I am not mad because you had me at a disadvantage. I am mad because you dare to call yourself a Wasavi, when you're a pathetic wimp."
Salza's eyes were now fearful.
Bulla, now in the full golden glory of Super Saiyan 3, clenched her fist, shattering the bones in his palm.
He screamed in total agony.
"Now, if you may, instruct me how to talk with Freeza. I have something to say to him."
Salza just stared back blankly, eyes tearful.
"Or do you want your other hand crushed?"
He shuddered, slightly whimpering, and pulled out a pocket communicator with his healthy hand.
A ball suddenly struck him in the head, knocking him out.
An imperial greeting
Bulla almost dropped out of Super Saiyan upon the sudden occurrence. She barely held onto her Chi, maintaining the extremely straining form.
Maple had kicked the ball, sparing the Cooler Force officer some suffering.
"Are you dense? We need him conscious!" Bulla yelled.
"Why? He already gave you the talking thingy!" The tree girl pointed at the communicator.
"Honestly, you're being stupid. A communicator like this may need a password." Pan finally spoke up.
"Oh… well… sorry." Her weird skin sparkled all of a sudden, in a surprisingly adorable equivalent of a blush.
"I wanted to show myself to Freeza in this form. I can't keep it up for long, a few minutes at most. Still…"
"Hello, Salza? Are you there? Respond!" A voice suddenly echoed from the communicator. It was apparently already activated.
It was Cooler himself. Brother to Freeza, and as of now, the Supreme Commander of all of Freeza's men, second in rank only to his imperial brother.
Bulla activated the two side visual connection. A hologram flashed into existence, presenting a creature with red slanted eyes, black lips and a purple face that was surrounded by two red stripes on the sides and a white ridge above the eyes. Most of his head was white as well, safe for a large purple glassy protrusion reaching from his forehead to the occiput.
"Hello, Cooler. Your lackey is rather… unresponsive at the moment, as are all of his men. Do you happen to have your venerable brother around?"
The Commander growled, only to be interrupted by a sudden sleazy voice. "Well, well, well, what do we have here... Another sparkling monkey, another spawn of Vegeta."
Another figure stepped into the picture. There was some familial similarity between the two monsters, except this one had a fully white face, with merely two contours reaching from his red eyes to his jaw, surrounding black lips. His forehead, crown, and occiput had a glassy purple texture which reflected his surroundings. It was wider and flatter than the Cooler's protrusion.
Freeza, the self appointed Emperor of the Universe.
Bulla spiked her cordiality with a shot of sarcasm. "Welcome, revered emperor. How awful it is to see you today. How has your day been? I hope it was disgraceful, just like this little operation of yours."
Freeza matched her tone: "Nowhere nearly as disgraceful as the sight of you, little monkey. How does your venerable father fare? Not too depressed over raising such a disgrace of a beast daring to call itself a Princess?"
"On the contrary, he raised me rather well, and he is very proud and happy with the result. Here, have a closer look." Bulla pulled the communicator to her eye. "Remember my visage well, emperor. It will be the last thing you'll ever see as you're being torn apart for all of your crimes. I will make sure to pay you double for each and every time you've hurt my father, before I let you croak it."
Freeza clicked his tongue. He never liked being challenged, she recalled.
"Such bravado coming from something that barely even classifies as a monkey." His tone was more stern now, albeit still amused. "I think the moniker of a bug suits you better. Something to be stomped on and squashed into the floor, as it squeals in agony. Enjoy this little victory of yours while you can. Know it was meaningless in the long run, just as all the others of those pointless errands of yours. I will see you around, little bug."
The hologram disappeared with a click.
"What a prick," Maple commented.
Pan laughed out loud, her Super Saiyan form disappearing and hair returning to its normal black. "That about sums it up, yeah!"
Bulla smiled as well, releasing her own Super Saiyan form and letting out a huge sigh.
"Okay, let's head back to the town square. Master Borr is waiting." Pan said, picking the unconscious Salza up.
Bulla nodded, feeling a bit dizzy. She walked over to Pan and leaned on her shoulder, so that she would aid her flight.
Soon, they arrived at the square, where Borr was watching over Salza's unconscious men. Once they landed, he approached them.
"Thank you again, my ladies, for aiding us in such a dark time. Now, just to be sure, what is to be of those…"
"They will be handed over to the Galactic Patrol!" Pan smiled. "We just need to…"
Maple kicked the ground. A series of branches and roots suddenly grew there, rapidly expanding towards the men, coiling around them and hardening into bindings.
"Hey, neat trick!" Pan smiled, putting Salza on the ground.
Maple grinned happily at the praise. She then performed another root kick, tying him up as well. "Would you like them wrapped and decorated with a ribbon?"
"Thank you, but the Galactic Patrol has enough on their hands, without extra organic waste to dispose of. Just remember to bring back the thugs from the ship too." Bulla smirked.
"Why…" They suddenly heard a voice.
Salza managed to somehow wake up.
"Why won't you… just kill us already…" He wheezed out.
Bulla crouched down to eye him. "You see, unlike you Freeza Force trash, we do not partake in mindless slaughter if we can avoid it," she hissed "Many of our leaders believe in second chances… against my better judgement." She smirked. "Perhaps you should use the opportunity to rethink your life, while you still can. We do not offer third chances."
She then realised that she was talking to a wall, as Salza passed out again.
"So cool…" Maple almost wheezed, staring at Bulla.
"Yeah, she likes to show off." Pan grunted and rolled her eyes, though she was smiling.
Maple ran over to Bulla and held both of her hands, chattering: "Hey, can you do that Super Saiyan thing again? It was so cool! Oh, I know, can you transform into a giant gorilla? I heard the Saiyans did that in the past, I always wanted to see one!"
"Hold your horses! Great Ape form is not my expertise." It was actually impossible as she didn't have a tail. "And I don't have any energy left in me. I've learned this form only recently, and it completely drains me out."
"Awww…" Maple couldn't hide her disappointment. "Not even just a little gorilla?"
"Come on, let the princess rest. She earned it." Pan elbowed her lightly. Both girls giggled.
Bulla rolled her eyes, before turning to Master Borr. "Well then, now that this little distraction is over, how about we move on with our business?"
She walked over to him, offering her hand he took gladly.
She smiled. "I believe a certain conference is in order."