Ch. 5
Wish I could believe,
That you cared for me that way.
Mirror, mirror speak to me,
In the night.
-Opening song, Key the metal Idol.
She awoke the next morning without opening her eyes.
"It was all a dream," she whispered gleefully. "I dreamed that I'd been dragged into space to serve on a ship heading for a distant planet I've never heard of."
The bed she was sleeping on gave a horrible jolt and her eyes shot open. She was still on the ship and at the moment it seemed to be having a rough time. She glanced at the shift monitor. She was due on the bridge in about twenty minutes. She pulled on her uniform and began to hurry toward the bridge. She bumped into Zarbon on the way. He looked haggard, as if he'd just been awakened himself. He gave her a curt nod and ushered her to the bridge. She took her post even as Zarbon relieved Dodoria, who had been commanding. She realized with a start that Frieza wasn't around. She also realized that Kuao wasn't beside her. That was short-lived, however, as she saw Kuao rush in and take his post. The two of them began frantically working the panels.
She gasped at what she saw. "Sir…three Shi'ar battle cruisers starboard."
Zarbon blinked at her, then at the screen.
"View."
She pressed a few buttons, bringing the three silver cruisers on screen. She heard Zarbon say something in his own tongue, something so bad that her translator couldn't put it into Japanese. She turned as Frieza strode in, looking very put out indeed. She saw Musquo sneak in behind him and take up his post.
"Report!" Frieza snapped. Dodoria sighed.
"We were passing through a sector when we were bombarded with fire from the Shi'ar."
A beeping at her console made Krista swivel back around and take notice.
"Sir," she said a little hesitantly. "I believe they're hailing us."
Frieza frowned. "Let's hear it."
She pressed another few buttons and an image of the Empress Lilandra appeared larger-than-life on the viewscreen.
"Surrender yourself and your ship," she stated simply. Frieza smirked.
"Your Eminence," he said, spitting out the word with all the sarcasm and venom he could muster. "I do believe you are outgunned. Or would you like me to send my Ginyu Force out?"
As a piece of bluff, it wasn't very effective. Lilandra paled but stood her ground.
"We will send Gladiator out to meet them."
Frieza laughed out loud.
"In that case, perhaps I should meet him instead. Unless you wish to let us continue peacefully to where we were going."
Lilandra scoffed. "Peaceful? You? It's oxymoronic."
Frieza's features turned very ugly. "Either you back off, or I will make you."
Lilandra's lips settled into a fine line and the view disappeared. Krista checked her sensors and almost laughed with relief.
"They're moving away," she announced. Frieza sighed and sat in his chair.
"Resume course," he said, half amused and half weary.
Zarbon walked over to her station.
"How did you know they were Shi'ar?" he asked softly. Krista smiled.
"I did train with the X-men. They know Lilandra quite well. I learned to recognize a Shi'ar cruiser when I saw one."
Zarbon smiled. "You're doing a good job of impressing me, cadet."
"Our duty is but to serve," she said, quoting an old poem. Zarbon ginned and patted her gently on the shoulder before resuming his station.
She turned to Kuao.
"Mornings aren't always this rough, are they?"
Kuao chuckled. "Not unless we're flying through a particularly hostile region of space," he said good-naturedly. His hair was disheveled, but he looked none the worse for the wear.
"Things should be smooth for the rest of the trip."
"I certainly hope so," she said, slightly adjusting their course. "I don't wish to become used to being tossed out of my bed each morning."
Kuao laughed.
He watched her. And he grinned, his predatory nature coming to the full fore. She was quite the tasty little morsel. And he was going to make sure that he had the first taste. After all, he was one of the highest-ranking officers in the organization. Who was going to stop him? Certainly not she, she wasn't nearly a match for him.
And he seriously doubted if any being on the ship would stop him if they caught him.
Hell, they might even join in.
"Okay," Mere said. He was determined to understand Quidditch. "There are four balls: A Quaffle, two Bludgers, and a Snitch. Is that right?"
Krista nodded, grinning. Mere went on.
"There are seven players to each team. Three Chasers, who use the Quaffle to score, two Beaters, who keep the Bludgers from hitting their team members, a keeper, who guards the goalposts, and a Seeker, who goes after the Snitch?"
Krista clapped. "You've got it!!"
Mere whistled. "One human came up with all that. They ought to be given a prize."
Krista grinned. "Now that we've finally gotten Quidditch out of the way, I've got to tell you about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
Mere raised a brow and Krista laughed. She went on explaining about You-Know-Who("It's Voldemort!" "Harry, don' say th' name! This ain' even yeh fic!"), not noticing a certain second-in-command staring at her. Zarbon sighed. Something in him had twisted out of shape when he'd first gotten to know Krista. Even now, there were several warring emotions within him.
One was lustful, determined to use Krista only for her body. One was professional, reminding him that he was, in fact, her protector. He grudgingly admitted that admiration and respect resided in him as well, her obvious talents as a fighter and a soldier were obvious. But there was one emotion he refused to identify, to even acknowledge. Because if he acknowledged it, then he'd have to change a lot about himself. And right now, he just didn't feel like going through the trouble. It was easier to push it down and sit on it. He glanced over at his counterpart, Dodoria. He smiled as he saw that Dodoria was staring at the new cadet as well. He followed Dodoria's gaze as the pink officer let his eyes wander up and down every curve in Krista's body.
"Quite the looker, isn't she, that one?" Dodoria said suddenly. Zarbon laughed outright.
"Quite. But don't forget she's a very powerful warrior. I wouldn't even pat her on the shoulder without her consent. I'd rather not end up in the infirmary, if you know what I mean."
Dodoria chuckled. "I know," he said. "But that's only power level. Physically, she can't compare."
Zarbon frowned. "What relevance is that?"
Dodoria only smiled and took another sip of his drink. He sighed.
"I heard that that blunderer Ginyu is holding another open audition. More like a circus if you ask me. I don't know why Lord Frieza puts up with it."
Zarbon nodded in agreement, but he hadn't missed the fact that Dodoria had changed the subject. He knew Zarbon was her protector. There was no way he could possibly be thinking of…
He made an internal note to keep a very close eye on both Krista and Dodoria.
Frieza debated in his mind the wealth of problems he was bound to face.
There was a reason he normally did not employ women in his organization. But to pass up this opportunity would have been altogether foolish of him. She simply had too much potential. And as much as he would like to simply leave her to chance, there was something in him that wouldn't let him; something in him that told him to protect this girl from the other soldiers. He sighed. That damned conscience again, he thought he'd gotten rid of that long ago. No matter. He'd just decided. She was on her own, save Zarbon. From what he'd seen, she could handle most anything that came her way.
Anything else, well, that's exactly what Zarbon was for.
Krista sighed as she slipped out of her uniform. She was being given the next day off, something she was eternally grateful for. She searched through her wardrobe and came up with the jumper she'd been wearing when she first came aboard. She smiled and laid it across the chair in her room. She'd wear it tomorrow. Who knew, maybe she'd even get some actual training in. Not that it'd be the same…not without being able to go to her friends and family and tell them what accomplishes she'd made…
She shook her head and blinked back the tears that had almost fell. She wouldn't feel sorry for herself. Not here, and not now. She'd made her choice and now she had to live with it. She glanced up at the shift monitor and was startled at how late it was. She sighed wearily and slipped into her bed. She'd kept the room dark, because she was far too tired to deal with the bright lights. She realized her mistake, however, when a soft sound jostled her out of her light sleep. It was the sound of someone breathing.
Zarbon was on his way to Krista's quarters. Somehow or another, he couldn't quell the feeling that Dodoria meant to do something to her, and it bothered him. He'd tell her to be careful around Dodoria, and he'd do the rest. He sighed wearily as he reached her door. He was working far too much. He had raised his hand to ring the chime when a thud resounded from within the room. Frowning, he rang the chime. No answer. He rang it again. He ordered the computer to override the locking mechanism, giving his authorization code. The door hissed open and Zarbon found himself facing a scene of utter chaos. The room was nearly destroyed, pieces of furniture either shoved aside or in pieces about the room. The first thing he saw was Dodoria in a bent position, his back was still to the door. He thought vaguely that he might have gone to the wrong quarters until he saw Krista, hands up defending herself as Dodoria ripped every ounce of clothing from her. Zarbon's face pulled into a snarl and he aimed a blast for Dodoria's back, blasting him over Krista's head and into the wall. He called for backup and for Frieza before kneeling beside Krista and examining her with hands that were so gentle he surprised himself. He felt Krista trembling as he checked for any wounds on her. He found a cut on her face, his eyes conveying the question to her. She managed to answer him, though she could not hide the quaver from her voice.
"He hit me across the face when I first tried to blast him…" She trailed off as she looked up and saw Frieza standing in the doorway. She gasped, and unconsciously shrunk back. Frieza stepped into the room, his eyes conveying full fury. He aimed a finger in Krista's direction, and Krista closed her eyes waiting for the blast, but it never came. Looking behind her, she saw that Frieza had actually been aiming for Dodoria, whose body had now been reduced to a few thin wisps of smoke.
She sat, curled up and trembling, in the middle of the floor. She looked up in surprise as something was draped across her-the sheet from her mangled bed. She pulled it around her gratefully and tried to stand, only to find that her legs couldn't support her weight. She fell to her knees, and stayed there like that for a few moments before she was picked up by Zarbon and taken to the infirmary.