Cooler's disinterest was palpable as he trudged forward down the long hallway.

"How much further?" he hissed to the two grunts leading him.

Gale, a short, brown-skinned, demon-like creature turned to him with the brightest smile he could muster. "Not too much further, my liege."

Sheela, a slightly taller woman with no apparent nose and wild orange hair, also turned to the monarch. She, too, sported an awkward smile as she added, "We do apologize for the inconvenience. We couldn't reach Don Kee on the phone. Otherwise, he would've surely come to greet you sooner."

Though he remained silent, Cooler narrowed his eyes at the two, making them hurriedly turn their backs and walk just a bit faster.

"Here we are!" Gale announced as they approached a grand, ornate door that towered over the trio.

Cooler didn't have long to marvel at the fine architecture of the barrier before Gale and Sheela rushed up to it. Claiming either side, they both began pushing, at first struggling, before the heavy doors swung open. What greeted Cooler on the other side was surprising to say the least. Everything that Cooler had seen from this planet thus far - the landscape, the people, the people's clothing, some the surrounding buildings - had all pointed to a planet of poverty.

However, as the tyrant walked through the threshold, he couldn't resist looking around the grand, office-like setting. It was decorated floor-to-ceiling in luxurious drapes, riveting paintings, and ornate, gold moldings. Even some of the furnishings dotted around the office looked like the quality could've rivaled some of their own back at his home; most especially, the massive, mahogany desk seated in the center of the room.

While wistfully considering whether he'd want his own mahogany desk once he claimed power over the PTO, Cooler's scarlet eyes glanced upward to meet the man who couldn't be bothered to greet an honored guest.

"What is the meaning of this disturbance?" Don Kee declared as he stood from his luxurious desk.

Cooler quirked a brow at the creature whilst Gale and Sheela moved forward, nervously to speak with their boss. Don Kee was a man of stature. He certainly loomed over his subordinates, having to bend down so that they could whisper in his ears. But if his luxurious accommodations and regal clothing were anything to go by, he most certainly wasn't a fighter. That point was made even more so as Cooler noted the subtle softening of his face as realization was coming over him.

While the trio whispered, Cooler allowed his eyes to wander once more until finding a tall, bluish-skinned creature looming in the doorway of a corner in the large office, a doorway that he was quite sure had been closed a moment earlier. The creature's attire was certainly more sparse than Kee's, adorned in only a dark blue spandex suit and red, short jacket. While there was little about Don Kee that asserted any kind of threat, this creature was of another caliber - Cooler was certain.

As the two remained rooted, staring each other down - silently pressing for the other to look away first, Cooler was blindsided as Don Kee suddenly appeared directly in his line of sight.

"Lord Cooler! It is an honor to have you on our humble planet," the man decreed, bowing in Cooler's presence. "Please, do accept my most sincere apology. Had we known you were coming, we could've prepared a more welcoming greeting."

Cooler hummed in mild interest and folded his arms. He leaned his head over ever so slightly to look around Kee, hoping to address his friend in the corner, only to find the door closed once more. "My visit was...impromptu to say the least," Cooler finally spoke, feeling the slightest bit forlorn at the missed opportunity. However, the feeling passed as quickly as it had arrived. Straightening up, he locked eyes with Kee. "What I need from you, Don Kee, is a new ship to get me the hell off this rock. I have business to take care of elsewhere."

"A ship?" the ruler parroted, standing upright once more.

The look of confusion on the man's face annoyed Cooler. "Yes. Preferably something quick. I must return to the PTO HQ and would rather not take a year to get there."

"Umm..." Don Kee turned to look at Gale and Sheela, as he pensively tried to decide his next words.

"What!" Cooler barked, startling the group.

"You see, my lord. We do not have any spacecrafts." Don Kee timidly answered.

Cooler fought back the urge to disintegrate something.

When the tyrant didn't immediately speak, Don Kee explained. "Our planet has suffered a major economic depression over the last few years. We sold off most of our most advanced technology in order to survive, and since we've never had the need for space travel, I thought it best to..."

"Silence." Cooler closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to think, completely missing the terrified expressions that Kee, Gale, and Sheela shared. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and practically stared right into Don Kee's soul. "I -"

"We can repair your pod, though, my lord!" Kee hurriedly blurted and simultaneously shrunk away, fearing what may come next.

Stumbling over whatever he'd been prepared to say, Cooler blinked at the ruler's declaration. "How?" he bit, angrily.

Don Kee tentatively looked up at Cooler and when he could tell that his life wasn't in imminent danger, he relaxed just enough to say, "While some of our best tech was sold, we didn't lose our intelligence. My engineers can surely fix your spacepod and get you on your way once again. It may take a bit longer than you would like, but I'm positive that it can be done."

"Are you willing to bet your life on that?"

Don Kee fearfully cast a glance back at his soldiers, and when they nodded to him, he turned back to Cooler. "I am," he said with way less confidence than his words suggested.

Scowling intensely, Cooler begrudgingly agreed. "Fine. In the meantime, where will I be staying?"

Lighting up like a bulb, Don Kee emitted a grateful smile as he walked past the tyrant, pausing right at the door to gesture for Cooler to follow him. "Oh, I have the most ~luxurious suite ready for you. It's adorned in the finest silk sheets and a bed frame carved from the bones of the rare Crane of Zod!"

The cooings of Don Kee's luxurious arrangements for Cooler tapered out the further they retreated down the hall, leaving Gale and Sheela to breathe a sigh of relief as they paused in the business room. Wiping the brows of the nervous sweat that had accumulated, they both shared a glance before arming themselves with dangerous smiles.

"Any word?" Onen asked aloud from his post in the captain's chair. He looked down to the soldier manning the radio, and frowned when the soldier answered in the negative. With a heavy sigh, he leaned back in his chair and commanded, "Keep trying."

He allowed his obsidian eyes to rise up to the ever-expanding view of space as they zoomed through at light speeds. For a brief moment, he appeared deep in thought and contemplative – so far gone that he completely missed the sound of Nosa entering the cabin and moving down to his side.

"What is it?" While Nosa's tone had been very casual, it didn't prevent a startle from the Saiyan, who proceeded to glare up at the Yadratian with palpable offense. "I did not teleport. You were just out of it," he griped before Onen could chastise him.

The Saiyan scoffed and turned forward, ignoring Nosa.

The Yadratian, too, scoffed. "What's eating you?"

Onen appeared thoughtful for a moment, as if mulling over to confide in Nosa. Just as the Yadratian turned to exit the room, Onen gave in. "Something's wrong."

Nosa stopped mid-stride and looked back to the Saiyan. "…like what," he spoke when Onen didn't immediately continue.

With an aggravated grunt, Onen turned back around. "Don't go telling anyone and getting them worked up, but we can't get in contact with anyone on the next planet." He raked his hand through his hair then, and suddenly became all together anxious as he looked back over to the soldiers manning the radio.

Nosa was taken aback by the Saiyan's nervousness, especially considering the drunken happiness he exuded less than 24hrs ago. "I'm sure it's not a big deal. They're probably –,"

"You don't understand!" Onen bit, stopping Nosa's words dead in their tracks. "I can't have mistakes or missteps here, Nosa! This mission is too important! If they're not responding to our transmissions, it IS a big deal!"

Floored by the Saiyan's outburst, Nosa was left standing idly as he watched Onen nervously tap his foot before turning back to face the emptiness of space.

"Just do me a favor and keep this between me and you, okay?" Onen asked, his tone dropping the harshness. "I need Lord Cooler to know that I can handle this."

Without a word, Nosa turned away and exited the command center, wordless agreeing.

FHFHFHFHFHFHFH

Nosa didn't get far from the command center before he found himself approaching Leek. He and the hulking brute were on course to cross paths in the long corridor. Nosa could tell that the Lt. commander wasn't a huge fan of his – frankly, the feeling was mutual – but as they neared, Nosa could sense a shift in the man's demeanor.

Just as they passed, Leek paused.

"Thank you," the man spoke, his words making Nosa stop and turn around. Looking over his shoulder, Leek added, "You saved Riva. Thank you."

Onen bit his head off, and Leek was thanking him. Today was shaping up to be a weird one.

"No problem," the Yadratian offered and only after the brute had begun walking once more did he think of something else to say. "Where is Riva?" he called out, Leek now much farther down the hall.

"In her room!"

FHFHFHFHFHFHFH

With a gentle tap on the door, Nosa waited.

In no time, the door swiped open just as Riva was sweeping her flowing mane out of her face. However, instead of being greeted with that gentle, yet dangerous smirk that always seemed to dot her lips, Nosa was met with a somber expression and running mascara.

"Oh!" she piped and was quick to avert her face from her unexpected guest. "Nosa, what is it?" she asked as she used her sleeve to wipe her face.

"Umm…" Officially, weird day. "…sorry to drop in on you. I just…well, I don't really know why I came by."

That made Riva giggle. Having finished with her face, she turned back to the Yadratian. Though the runny mascara was gone, it was still obvious that she'd been crying and was bit off from her usual demeanor.

"Surely there was some reason to come disturb me," she offered, trying to force that playfulness back to the surface. She then stepped aside and gestured from Nosa to enter. "Come on in. I don't bite."

Nosa proceeded to timidly walk through the threshold, and then completely blush when Riva added, "…too much anyway."

While Nosa's accommodations on the ship were hardly a step up above broom closet, he was struck to find Riva in such a nice, open cabin. It had to have been at least 3x the size of his room, and was decked out with an actual bed, lounge chair, tv and a private bathroom – not to mention the large window providing an excellent view of space.

"Gee, what does a guy have to do for this?" he awed as he looked around.

That earned another chuckle from the woman as she strolled by. "Lord Cooler knows how to treat his people," she shrugged absently and moved for the restroom, standing at the mirror as she reapplied her makeup.

Moving over to the lounge chair, Nosa grouchily whispered, "Speak for yourself."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Nosa continued to look around absently before finally thinking of something to say. "Leek told me thank you earlier. That was pretty cool."

"Really!" she called from the restroom. "Good for you. It took him nearly a month before he finally spoke directly to me. What did he thank you for?"

"Saving you back on that planet." It took Nosa a moment to sense the mood change. As the awkward silence fell on the two, the Yadratian inwardly wanted to slap himself. "Not that it was a big deal or anything," he hastily added.

Riva reappeared from the bathroom, makeup immaculate, as she watched the Yadratian. Though, her expression wasn't angry or annoyed, it was thoughtful.

"By the way, I owe you my gratitude as well," she spoke. Nosa began shaking his head and attempted to stave her off, but she continued on. "I let myself get too overconfident on the battlefield and nearly got killed as a result. But, instead I…" Riva caught herself on the verge of sobbing and turned away, wiping her cheek.

"Riva, it was a just a mistake. We've all made them." Nosa attempted to comfort the woman, but she wouldn't have it.

Shaking her head, she said, "Mistakes cost lives, Nosa. There's no room for them here in the PTO." Unbothered by her mascara beginning to run once more, she turned back to Nosa. "And my mistake cost the lives of my men. While I was right there! I wasn't doing my job and my men suffered as result!" This time, she couldn't hold back the sob as she nestled into the crook of her arm.

It took a moment – an awkward one for Nosa – for Riva to reclaim herself. When she did, she apologized for her emotions. "I used to be embarrassed by my tears, you know. I thought it made me weak. But then, I watched others – other leaders – see their men fall by the dozens and not bat an eye. I don't care how long I have to be here. I won't let this place strip away who I am." Riva then paused again before heaving a hefty sigh. "I just feel so bad for Papri's wife and newborn. I get to make the call that he won't be coming back."

Nosa scoffed. "C'mon Riva. Isn't this what you guys sign up for?"

The deadly leer that Riva tossed Nosa could've killed him several times over. "Excuse me?"

Unfazed and oblivious, Nosa continued. "I get you being sad about your soldier's loss, but you make it sound like you're out here on a peacekeeping mission. You guys invade other planets, and kill and enslave people. You're bound to die eventually."

It wasn't until Nosa had fully spoken his peace did he realize just how far he'd submerged himself, especially by the way that Riva was glaring at him. Oddly, as angry as she looked, she also looked completely confused, as if she'd just watched Nosa sprout a second head.

"You've got some fucking nerve," she spat.

"Look, I'm sorry. That came out wrong –,"

"Allow me to clarify something for you: what we sign up for in the PTO is survival. Everyone here was ripped from their homes – ripped from their families – and thrown into a world where EVERY DAY is a fight for survival. I have watched comrades be vaporized on the spot by the very people that we work for, not to mention the hundreds of lives I've seen exterminated on the battlefield! So yes, Nosa, I sign up to cleanse planets! I sign up to enslave others! I sign up to RUIN other people's lives! Because if I don't – if I don't do everything commanded of me – then I'll be dead right next to them."

After her tongue lashing, Riva stomped past Nosa and stood at her door, opening it as she gestured for him to leave. "How about you get the fuck out of my room?"

Nosa, wanting to kick himself several times over, stood and began walking. His mind was a mess of words, trying his best to think of what to say to soothe the situation. As he walked out of the room, he turned, hoping to offer some form of apology, but was cut off as Riva spoke once more.

"Before you climb too high up on that horse of yours, Nosa, I just want you to know – whether an active participant or not – you're no better than me or any of the rest of us. You still have blood on your hands. If anything, standing on the sidelines just makes you a fucking coward."

With that, Riva turned her back on him, her door slamming shut behind her.

"What do you think of your accommodations, my lord?" Don Kee proudly asked, his tone suggesting he already knew the answer.

Cooler stepped back inside from his balcony to give his room a once over. It was bigger than his room back on Arcos.

He didn't know how to feel about that.

"It is quite impressive, Kee. I am pleasantly surprised," the tyrant responded, still glancing around at the luxurious decorations and gold-speckled ornaments around his room. His eyes landed on his massive bed, the framing indeed carved from whatever ancient bird Don Kee had been going on about. It looked a lot nicer than he'd expected.

Cooler turned to Don Kee. "You say you sold off your tech to help boost your economy. Maybe you should've started with all these fancy decorations first. It could've saved you on the loss of valuable technology."

The proud smile on Don Kee's face twitched ever so slightly. Cooler almost wasn't sure he'd caught it, and before he could think any more on it, Don Kee spoke. "Many of these decorations have been in my family for years, Lord Cooler. I could never part with them."

Cooler opened his mouth to offer another word, but before he could begin, Don Kee turned on his heel. "Please, do make yourself at home. I will have food sent up soon. I assure you, if you find the decorative taste of my home pleasant, then you will be head over heels for the culinary delicacies."

Grabbing the door handle and backing out of the room, Kee called out, "Me and my people are at your beck and call, my lord. Let us know if you need anything!"

And with that, the door closed, leaving Cooler standing with his mouth agape, whatever words he'd been thinking to say fleeing. For a fleeting moment, he was annoyed to be spoken over by Don Kee. Alas, he unexpectedly yawned and suddenly found himself hoping the bed before him was as comfortable as it looked.

"I supposed I could've ended up in worst places." Finally allowing the fatigue of his journey to settle on him, Cooler walked over to the bed and casually collapsed onto it, inwardly happy to find that it was indeed as comfortable as it looked.

FHFHFHFHFHFHFH

On the other side of the door, Don Kee stood for a moment, glaring at the barrier with a look of pure disgust. When his fist started trembling, Don Kee was brought back to the present, blinking away his fury. With a sigh, he turned and began walking down the corridor, making note of Gale and Sheela waiting for him further down the hall.

The ruler walked right up the two subordinates and the three paused there, looking back and forth amongst each other.

"This is what we've been waiting for. Are you ready to do this, Don?" Sheela asked.

Kee turned and looked back down the corridor to Cooler's room. His expression was solemn for a moment before a mischievous smile tugged at his lips.

Turning back to the two, he nodded and began walking with Gale and Sheela in tow. "Not who I was hoping for, but today, the sins of the father will be visited upon the son."