Cooler was startled awake as a beeping noise began to go off. He was greeted with a flashing red light on the display screen and once he was able to completely rise out of his stasis, he made note of the warning.
LOW FUEL!
Cooler sighed. If it's not one thing, it's another.
"Last I checked, it should've been just enough fuel to make it back to HQ." He bit back a snarl as he began toying with the screen in front of him. According to the system, he had enough fuel for another week's journey. He was still three months out from Arcos.
"Perfect."
Moving to the navigation system, he determined he was still on the recesses of the PTO's expansion. Considering the names of the planets in his vicinity – Cold 501, Cold 488, Cold 511 – Cooler was in his father's territory. He found it odd. In his prime, King Cold had ambitious goals of expansion, but since raising Cooler and Frieza up to take the helm, Cold had delegated himself to a cluster of planets very close to Arcos. There was no way his father was coming this far out into the space boonies.
All the other planets that was outside of his radius of travel had been given over to Frieza. Of course. So, the fact that planets this far out from HQ that were still registered under Cold's name was both intriguing and highly annoying.
There could be only two options: One, the faulty system was mislabeling planets and didn't know what the hell it was talking about. Two, these planets had been abandoned decades ago and were more than likely underdeveloped with little resources of benefit to Cooler.
Considering Cooler's predicament, the last place he needed to be was a planet with no resources.
He sighed again and widened the scope on the navigation. If he tried to ride out the week of fuel, he would just barely be reaching a number of Frieza planets. They had the potential to offer more to Cooler than these in his current sector. However, considering this pod, he didn't want to chance running out of fuel before then.
With regret, Cooler began looking at the Cold planets around him. The worst that could happen is that he finds himself on some desolate wasteland that offers him nothing for his troubles…and then he blows it up out of frustration.
The beauty of the PTO was that it was founded on the premise of a business. They collected planets, determined its worth, and sold it to the highest bidder. A planet's worth was defined by its fertility, its size, its location, and its viability. It wasn't until King Cold took over that it became more of an expansionist empire with goals of universal dominance. It was less about collecting and selling, and more like collect, collect, collect. Despite the change in long term goals for planet acquisition, the PTO still maintained worth records on every planet collected.
Planets with high viability, but low fertility scores were perfect for militaristic and scientific ventures for the PTO because they were worth less to bidders. That way, in the rare moments when the PTO acted as a business and sold off a planet, they didn't have to be concerned with all the resources they'd put into it going to waste because people rarely wanted to buy planets with low fertility.
With all this in mind, Cooler probed through the records of nearby planets until he locked onto Cold 493. Mild location and size scores, but most importantly, a high viability and low fertility score. It was Cooler's best bet.
"Cold 493. ETA 52 hours," the system announced as it was switching back to stasis mode.
Cooler watched the screen further. His eyes growing heavy as he skimmed some other small details regarding the planet. "Don't waste my time, Planet Imecka," he groaned before falling back asleep.
"Wow! She's beautiful. Congratulations!"
"Thanks, man. She's my world. I can't wait to get back home to see her."
"It must suck to have not been there when she was born."
"Of course! But you know, that's the life. When this mission is over though, I've already been approved for five days off. I'm going to spend every second I can…"
The words drifted off as the two soldiers moved out of earshot. Nosa, who was currently lying in his little cot and staring up at the ceiling, frowned. He'd heard every word as the soldiers walked by his private room. It forced him into a state of melancholy.
Daddy! When are you coming back? I'm going to miss you!
Nosa forced away the girl's words and stood from his cot. He stepped out into the corridor and strolled off.
In no time, the Yadratian reached the command room. Walking in, he found Onen in the command seat with soldiers scattered about at different monitors. Displayed before them all was the massive expanse of space as they flew through the vacuum.
It had been about three days since they'd departed Arcos. Nosa's interest in the mission had been nonexistent when Onen explained it to him, but all that changed once he was faced with the ire of King Cold. After that encounter, Onen was the first person he sought out. The Saiyan had appeared suspicious of Nosa's motives for wanting to join the mission, but he'd acquiesced. Obviously, Onen wanted all the help he could get.
Of course, Nosa had to promise to contribute and not be dead weight. He had agreed, begrudgingly.
The entire mission was expected to take nearly a month to complete. The Yadratian just hoped that Cooler would return by then. Otherwise, he'd have a pissed off monarch to deal with when he returned.
Actually, either way he'd probably still have that to deal with.
"You're finally out of your room." Onen turned to face Nosa and waved him down. Nosa followed and walked up to the Saiyan's side. "I was beginning to think that you were having second thoughts about coming along."
Nosa didn't reply to that. "What's the plan here? I don't think you ever gave me the rundown."
"I already explained the average 20,000 power level across these three planets." Nosa nodded. "I have brought along Cooler Troops L and R for assistance. Lieutenants Leek and Riva have respective maxes of 39000 and 28000. They should be more than enough to squash the average threat on these planets. The troops at their command range between 3000 and 7000, so they should be able to handle most of the below average threats. I'll be there for support mostly, but also to aid in the event they come across a threat that they can't handle. We have no reason to suspect that there are any beings on these planets that are strong enough to challenge me."
"And me?" Nosa gave Onen a knowing look. The Saiyan understood.
"I know that you're not a fan of our cleansing tactics and I'm not going to waste either of our time by putting you on the front lines. Instead, you'll hang back at our command posts." Onen tapped at the monitor in front of him and brought up a holographic display of what Nosa assumed was their first planet to visit.
The Saiyan used the advanced technology to highlight certain areas as he spoke. "Troop O2 has secured a command post here, and according to reports from Lt. Commander Namu, there are heightened areas of criminal activity here, here, and here. We will attack these sights first to put an end to our biggest threats before we begin a systematic cleanse of the planet." He highlighted their command post once more. "The troop has done a good job of keeping their movements covert while they surveyed the planet, but once we arrive and certainly after we begin our assault, this will potentially become a hotspot for retaliation. You'll maintain the safety of our tech and ships from there while we do the dirty work. That doesn't sound too inhumane, does it?"
Nosa scowled, earning a chuckle from Onen.
"I'm thinking a 24hr cleanse, followed by a 24hr recovery, before we depart again. This will pretty much be the same tactic across all three planets."
Onen looked to Nosa as if to ask for more questions, when the Yadratian had none, he pressed a button on the monitor and the hologram disappeared. "I know you have your own reasons for being here...whether you'll admit it or not."
He tacked on that last bit when Nosa looked ready to dismiss it. The Yadratian remained silent.
"But I am happy that you've come along. I haven't gone on a mission in years. Honestly, I'm a little nervous."
Though he continued to be silent, Nosa offered a nod to acknowledge Onen's appreciation.
The Saiyan looked ready to continue talking, but before could do so, the door to the command room opened once again. This time, in walked Leek and Riva.
Riva was a short female with bluish-green skin. Her fiery orange hair flowed straight from her scalp down to her knees, cascading down both her front and back. Wearing a yellow scouter, her uniform consisted of a shoulderless set of armor that looked strikingly similar to a corset over a purple, one-shoulder shirt that disappeared under skin-tight black pants that equally disappeared into ankle-high purple boots with tiny, black crystals dotting the sides of them.
Leek was twice the size of Riva, in height and muscle mass. Aside from his stout frame, his physical appearance was strikingly human-like. The only outlier was his rather long jaw and chin, and his amber, bushy eyebrows. With a shining, bald head and a bare, battle-scarred torso, the man stood in baggy, orangish pants that almost perfectly matched his eyebrows. He also wore nearly knee-high, red combat boots that matched the red sash around his waist, red scarf around his neck, red wrist bands, and his red scouter.
They immediately made note of Nosa and Onen and walked down.
"Greetings," Riva announced to Nosa once she grew closer. Her voice was almost sultry as she spoke. Leek remained stoic.
"Hi." Nosa nodded to the woman and shot a glance up to Leek, who was watching him passively.
"Riva, Leek, I don't know if you've had the opportunity to meet him yet, but this is Nosa," Onen declared as he formally introduced the two. "And I've already told you a little bit about the lieutenants, Nosa."
"I hope all good things." Riva offered Onen a wink, making the Saiyan blush before returning her silver eyes to Nosa. "So, this is the mystery man that no one likes. I have heard quite a few things about you."
"All of them bad, I imagine."
Riva chuckled before putting her hands on her hips. "Can you blame the gossipers?" she cooed. "A mystery man appears out of nowhere and is granted private accommodations, freedom to roam as he pleases, and apparently falls under no one's authority - that's all added on top of having no rank. You can see how people would be somewhat jealous, right?"
Nosa scowled. "I take it you're one of them?"
Sweeping a stray strand of hair from her face, Riva made sure to lock eyes with Nosa as she replied, "Yes."
Her blunt honesty made Nosa lift an intrigued brow.
"That's not to say that I don't like you. You just…interest me." The smile that Riva offered made the Yadratian gulp.
After a moment of awkward silence passed, Leek cleared his throat. Ignoring the lingering stare off between Riva and Nosa, the giant looked to Onen. "We came by to see how much longer we have to arrival. We planned to take a moment to spar and wanted ample time to recover before the mission begins."
Onen turned to look at the screen before replying. "Approximately 20hrs. As long as you don't try to kill one another, you should be fine."
"Great!" Riva chimed, finally looking away from Nosa. With a pleased smile, she smacked Leek's arm. "I'll go easy on you." Leek offered no response as he turned to exit the room. Riva turned to follow as well, but paused as she looked back to Nosa. "Join us," she offered.
The invitation surprised the warrior. "…um…" He glanced past Riva and looked to Leek, who had continued walking with little concern.
"Go ahead, Nosa. You could use some social interaction."
That earned Onen a scowl, to which the Saiyan chuckled and turned back to his monitor. With few other options to pass the time, Nosa sighed and walked forward. "Fine," he replied and tried to remain impassive at the woman's playful smirk as he passed.
FFFFFFFFFFF
Nosa couldn't remove his eyes from showdown in front of him.
Power meant a lot in the hierarchy of the PTO, but if style was even remotely a factor, then these two lieutenants would definitely be higher on the totem pole. Though everything about Leek suggested he'd be the typical brawler, his movements actually had a semblance of art behind it. He made thorough use of his long extremities with wide, swinging kicks, and palm strikes and chops, as opposed to punches. Combined with many sliding motions and flips, his attacks looked almost like a dance.
Riva's style, on the other hand, was reserved. Her attacks were precise and targeted. For the most part, she stood with her index and middle finger poised for stabbing attacks, which made use of her razor sharp nails. Given Leek's greater range, she made a point to avoid being too close to the man. However, when an opening appeared, she'd step just close enough. Her nails couldn't make contact, but she'd put out small, yet powerful kiai bursts. After landing a strike, she'd be careful to move back far out of Leek's reach.
Despite being on the defensive for much more of the bout, Riva had landed way more attacks than Leek.
The bald warrior suddenly launched forward, sliding across the matted floor of the gym-like area. Using his hand to angle him, Leek launched into a wild, spinning assault – his legs whipping out chaotically. Riva attempted to leap out the way of the attack, but Leek kept up the charge.
With no other option, Riva met the whirlwind head on. She managed to dodge through the chaotic attack, expertly avoiding every kick that aimed to knock her senseless. Leek topped off the attack, by suddenly leaping into the air slightly and aiming an axe kick down for the woman.
Riva side stepped the kick easily enough, but she was brought too far into Leek's range. Before she could move, the tall man swung around his other leg, aiming it right for the woman's head. The attack looked to take Riva right off the floor with its impact.
But that was all a rouse, as she flipped backward. Landing a perfect handstand, Riva proceeded to handspring a few meters away from her opponent.
Back on his feet, Leek looked over to the woman and narrowed his eyes.
Riva slyly chuckled as she swept her hair back. "Had me there for a second," she mused before placing her hands on her hips. "Gotta be quicker than that."
Leek scoffed and suddenly leaned forward before reaching over to yank on something invisible.
"Ouch, you jerk!" the disembodied voice of Riva suddenly spoke.
The Riva on the other side of the gym dematerialized as Riva now appeared at Leek's side, her pointed fingers aimed at where Leek's head had once been – her kiai dodged.
She snatched her hair out of Leek's grip and none too gently, shoved the taller soldier. "No hair pulling!" she demanded and proceeded to stroke her hair as if Leek had offended it.
"And no using special abilities in sparring." Leek leveled the woman with an accusing glare.
Riva, in return, stuck her tongue out at the brute and turned to walk away, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she did so. "Rules are for suckers," she called out over her shoulder.
Meanwhile, Nosa had been impressed at the scene. He was able to follow the soldiers' movements with relative ease, but he'd been completely fooled by Riva's deceptive ability. He figured Leek had been exposed to it before and had learned to be vigilant of such maneuvers. Against the unsuspecting opponent, though, Riva could be quite formidable.
"Besides, I just wanted to show off for our friend." Riva strolled right up to Nosa, locking eyes with him as she did so. Throwing her hair out of the way, she slid right in next to the Yadratian and leaned in close. "I'm still so fascinated by you, Nosa. What brings you to the PTO?"
As the two stared each other down once more, Leek trudged into the conversation and stood just in front of the two. He remained stoic as he, too, watched Nosa.
The Yadratian armed himself with a dangerous smile. She's a cut above the rest. That's for sure. "Asking me to show my hand before you show yours? That's not very hospitable."
Riva hummed and moved back out of Nosa's personal space. "What brings any of us here? It's usually the same story with the occasional twist ending." She thumbed over to the stoic Leek. "His home planet was one of the first planets invaded by Frieza. His people tried to fight back, but after being defeated, many of them were enslaved. The rest were left to die on a planet that Frieza blew up."
She turned her thumb up to herself. "My home planet was invaded by King Cold. My people tried to fight back and were defeated. Some people were enslaved, and the rest were killed in a planetary cleanse. The PTO later sold my home."
Nosa fought back the thought of Yadrat. "What makes you think that my story will be any different?"
"You were brought on by Lord Cooler. He almost never brings anyone on. If anything, he gets the scraps that Frieza and Cold didn't want." She then took the moment to methodically sweep her straying hair back into place. "Of course, he takes what he's given, molds them into capable soldiers, and makes them some of the most capable warriors in all of the PTO."
"I take it that you're quite fond of Cooler."
"I take it that you're trying to steer the conversation away from you." Riva offered a mischievous smile at Nosa scowl.
"Riva, you're prying." Leek offered the woman a disapproving look, and was unmoved when she tried pouting at him. "His business is his own. Whatever reason for him being here is above our pay grade. As long as he doesn't get in our way, I have no qualm with him."
Though the tall man had been addressing Riva, his gaze was focused on Nosa, who equally returned the look. Without another word, he turned away from the two and strolled away.
"We don't even get paid!" Riva blurted as Leek was walking out of the room. She folded her arms, almost pouting as she watched the exit. "Six years knowing him, and I still have it hard trying to read him sometimes."
Nosa watched the woman with curiosity until she finally turned those silver eyes back on him.
"Although, I do agree with him," she said. Her eyes grew serious as well. "I've been a part of this organization for 12, grueling years. My journey was not easy, and all I really want to know from you is that you're not going to suddenly make my life harder."
Conveying unconcern, Nosa brought his arms up and leaned his head back to rest upon them. "I'm just here to do what Cooler wants, just like the rest of us.
The two held each other's gaze for a moment longer before Riva finally smiled. Moving away from Nosa and now standing in front of him, she said, "Good. As long as we're on the same page. Besides…"
The wall behind Nosa suddenly exploded as Riva materialized directly in front of him with her pointed fingers at the side of his head. The mirage she'd casted disappeared as she looked deep into the Yadratian's eyes.
"…I'd really hate to kill you." Riva turned away and strolled off, gently gliding her fingers across the Yadratian's jaw as she did so and leaving Nosa stupefied.
As the woman reached the exit and left the room, Nosa turned to look at the damage to wall left behind. He was thoroughly surprised to find a perfect hole clean through material.
"I think I should've taken my chances with Cold."