Chapter Nineteen: Heart Freeze
Ninety minutes later in Frieza's office…
"You really should try to calm yourself, Zarbon," Frieza said smoothly, as he idled with one of his expensive gold pens while he was sitting in his remodeled office. It had cost Frieza a fortune to have the damage in his beloved office repaired. He had a new plush red carpet from planet Eyevar made with a deep pile, plus an expensive ornate rug with stars and moons on it from planet Yustachi. He traced his slim white fingers casually over the new "peige" desk that had been made of the peige wood from planet Cara-Camay, as he lounged back in his new gray leather chair with blue velvet trimming that had come from planet Arvu, a planet well known for its fine textiles and rare fibers. The gold crown molding had also been replaced.
"I can't but worry, sire. This is her first assignment without Jaden or me, and the Avarani are a dangerous race."
"She can handle it, Zarbon, you know that. She and Diamonique can easily blow away most of the Avarani, just using ki blasts alone, and Diamonique has a special trick that she developed where she can cause snow or hail, or even both at the same time. And Chestra has her telekinesis and that pain-increasing attack she calls Tenfold Pain Blast-I loved it when she used it on Balair during her Mid-Evaluation!"
Zarbon chuckled in spite of himself. "So did I, sire, so did I." Balair had received what he had truly deserved that day. Zarbon had always held Balair in contempt, and he was glad that a female, his female, had given Balair the butt kicking that he had needed. His Sistrai comrade was such a chauvinistic, macho, arrogant bastard who needed his ego periodically deflated now and then.
"Sire, may I be excused?" Zarbon asked calmly as possible. "I wish to tell Chestra goodbye before she leaves with Diamonique."
Frieza grinned. "Sure, why not?
Zarbon said a polite goodbye to his liege and left. He still had not forgiven Frieza for what he had tried to do to Chestra and him, but he was cordial to his master for his sake and his mate's. For now, the couple was thankful that the warlord was leaving them in peace and allowing them to be together without hassle. Maybe someday, he and Chestra would eventually leave the tyrant for good…maybe.
Until then, they had to be grateful for what they did have and could keep.
Zarbon was nearing the launching port of Frieza's ship when he noticed Jaden shouting at one of the space traffic controllers, the ones who usually helped space pods and smaller ships to take off to their destined planets. Jaden was letting the guy have it:
"What the hell do you mean they already left? Why did they leave early? Huh? Tell me!"
"Everything was ready early, Commander Jaden, please!" the frightened controller cried out in protest. "So Mid-Elite officers Diamonique and Chestra mutually agreed that it was best for them to get started on their assignment now. Because the preparations took a shorter time than expected, we allowed them to go right after the preflight checks. Please, Commander, if I had known that you wanted them to remain longer, I would have delayed the pod launchings. I am sorry, Commander Jaden, but I did not hear otherwise. Even Lord Frieza said if they were ready early, they could leave however early as they wished!"
Jaden shoved him away and growled, "Get me a pod ready for Avaran immediately!"
"Commander, has Lord Frieza assigned you to that planet as well?"
"Just do it, Harki! I don't have time for Twenty Thousand Questions! This is an emergency, if Lord Frieza asks. I've got to go; get me a pod ready!"
"Whatever you say, Commander," Harki squeaked, as he ran to do Jaden's bidding.
Zarbon had caught up with Jaden. Why would Jaden be going to Avaran as well? She was assigned to go clear planet Margush in less than two weeks, and Margush and Avaran were millions of light-years apart. There was no way that Jaden would get back in time to do the Margush assignment as well.
"Jaden," he inquired. "What's going on?"
The Rybanese warrior whirled around on him and said, "Chestra's in danger! Diamonique plans to kill her while they're on the Avaran assignment."
"What?" Zarbon exclaimed in horror. "Why?"
"From what I heard, Zarbon, Diamonique still wants you for herself, and she's willing to kill off Chestra to have you for yourself. If we don't hurry, Chestra will be seeing Enma Daiou before she sees us again."
The frantic pair ran to separate pods after Jaden had commanded Harki to have a pod prepared for Zarbon as well. Harki hurriedly had the pods prepared for their departure.
Planet Avaran, four days later, on the continent of Sarabi, in the Wouki Desert…
Frieza had correctly predicted Chestra and Diamonique's success in fighting against the Avarani. Despite all of the advanced war technology the Avarani had, Chestra and Diamonique were more than able to hold their own with them. Chestra had used her mind to telekinetically blow up almost all of the Avarani's landmines, killing many soldiers or crippling them in the process. She was also able to use her mind to turn the weapons against their users, killing them with their own warring machines. Diamonique had invoked a hailstorm, plus a snowstorm with a ki blast to the sky, and the severe weather that she had created, slowed down the survivors considerably.
There were five continents on Avaran, and so far, Chestra and Diamonique had almost managed to clear three of them within the last four days. Chestra tried not to think of all the innocent people, women and children, that she had killed. The guilt would often wake her up in the middle of the night, bringing back painful memories of the destruction on planets Ryban and Ghetti, the only planets that she had had any happiness on. Now instead of being the victim, she was the attacker, the murderer, and the one who was helping to bring chaos and sorrow to millions of innocent living beings.
She had cried several times over what she was doing at the times when she was unable to stay objective and focused on the assignment at hand. She did not like the fact that she had long ago lost track of how many lives she had taken, and she did not even want to think of how many more that she would have to take before Frieza no longer considered her useful.
Now she and Diamonique were sleeping in their separate tents in the remote desert region known as Wouki Desert. The night was unbearably balmy and humid, as the climate of the continent of Sarabi remained hot two-thirds of the year. Chestra and Diamonique were stripped down to their thin nightclothes in order to keep themselves cool.
Chestra was hugging her pillow, as she lay there in the sticky heat, wearing just her negligee with no blanket covering her. She hugged her pillow tighter, missing Zarbon and the comfort of his warm, hard body and his firm, strong arms. The lavender negligee that she was wearing clung tightly to her snowy flesh, making the thin cloth seem almost like a second skin. She fervently wiped her brow, as the sweat drenched her face, and then her body. Who had ever thought that nights could be so hot and humid?
Finally, she fell into a deep sleep, she now being oblivious to the intense heat that was threatening to bake her right out of her skin. While she was sleeping, a tall, slender figure crept into her tent and sat down next to her resting form. The figure turned Chestra's body towards its direction, and then the shadowy presence laid its hand on her chest. Chestra's nerves were turned on, and she awoke with a start. Recognizing her visitor, she launched her petite body upon the intruder, knocking the invader to the sandy ground. Chestra pinned her visitor to the ground, using her mind to restrain her would-be attacker. She had one small hand around her opponent's throat.
"What you are doing here?" Chestra demanded to know. "Diamonique, you weren't thinking of trying to attack me again, were you?" Chestra's pale green eyes darkened and narrowed, and Diamonique couldn't help, but flinch under her partner's intense, angry glare.
"I-I just wanted to make sure that you're all right," Diamonique said as smoothly as possible. Beads of sweat danced down her anxious face, as she worried whether Chestra would let her live or not. It was this anxiety, as well as the heat, that made Diamonique sweat so heavily. She and Chestra had spoken to each other as little as possible during their journey and the time that they had spent on Avaran against their victims. Diamonique was trying to think of a way to gracefully escape Chestra without bodily injury. Chestra was using her mind to pin her down, and Diamonique could not even lift a finger against her attacker.
"Will you let me up now, please?" she hissed at Chestra angrily.
"Not until you tell me the real reason that you were in my tent," Chestra persisted. "I would hate to think that you were trying to kill me again. Tell the truth, tell me!"
"Alright, alright, I will!" Diamonique said in a falsely compliant tone. "I must confess, Chestra, that I admired that new nightgown of yours, that one that Zarbon gave her with the red ribbon roses and the mauve silk-like fabric. It's low-cut, and yet demure. I just wanted to try it on, and see how it would look on me."
"We're in the middle of war, where we could get killed at any time, and you're worried about trying on my clothes?"
"Yes, yes, darling, and I realize now how foolish it was of me to even consider it. Truly, I am sorry, Chesty-I mean Chestra. At least tell me where Zarbon got it from you, hmm? I would like to buy one for myself."
"He got it from one of the shops on one of Frieza's planets-Eyevar, I believe it was. But that's not important right now, Diamonique, as we really do need to get some sleep." Chestra had calmed down considerably, but there was that little instinct telling her that Diamonique was up to something. But what?
She would find out soon enough.
"Can you let me up, please?" Diamonique begged her. "I will go right to my own tent and not bother you for the rest of the night."
Chestra sighed, "I suppose so." And with that, she telekinetically released Diamonique and allowed her to sit up.
That would prove to be a costly mistake.
Before Chestra could prepare herself, Diamonique fired a tiny, silver laser into Chestra's heart. Chestra screamed, as she felt her heart grow colder and colder. She clutched at her chest, and she could have sworn that her heart was freezing-literally!
It was!
Chestra's skin tone turned from snow to ash, her white skin now becoming gray, as she clutched at her chest frantically. Her breathing began to slow rapidly, as she grew faint. She emitted one final scream before she passed out completely, on her way now to a slow, agonizing death.
Diamonique laughed wickedly, as she happily watched Chestra fade away. "Thanks for helping me clear this wretched planet, Chesty, but I don't need you anymore! Don't worry, I'll take good care of Zarbon for you!"
And laughing manically, she leaned back against the wall of the tent, with her arms crossed, calmly, serenely watching Chestra began to die slowly. Diamonique smiled cruelly, with no regret for her evil deed, or pity for her archrival.
Chestra was no longer breathing, and her skin was now a pale shade of gray.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
A/N: Short chapter, I know, but I figured that this would be a good place to stop. (Don't you just hate cliffhangers, LOL.) Anyway, will Jaden and Zarbon be able to save Chestra in time, or has Diamonique finally succeeded in eradicating her once and for all?
Ninety minutes later in Frieza's office…
"You really should try to calm yourself, Zarbon," Frieza said smoothly, as he idled with one of his expensive gold pens while he was sitting in his remodeled office. It had cost Frieza a fortune to have the damage in his beloved office repaired. He had a new plush red carpet from planet Eyevar made with a deep pile, plus an expensive ornate rug with stars and moons on it from planet Yustachi. He traced his slim white fingers casually over the new "peige" desk that had been made of the peige wood from planet Cara-Camay, as he lounged back in his new gray leather chair with blue velvet trimming that had come from planet Arvu, a planet well known for its fine textiles and rare fibers. The gold crown molding had also been replaced.
"I can't but worry, sire. This is her first assignment without Jaden or me, and the Avarani are a dangerous race."
"She can handle it, Zarbon, you know that. She and Diamonique can easily blow away most of the Avarani, just using ki blasts alone, and Diamonique has a special trick that she developed where she can cause snow or hail, or even both at the same time. And Chestra has her telekinesis and that pain-increasing attack she calls Tenfold Pain Blast-I loved it when she used it on Balair during her Mid-Evaluation!"
Zarbon chuckled in spite of himself. "So did I, sire, so did I." Balair had received what he had truly deserved that day. Zarbon had always held Balair in contempt, and he was glad that a female, his female, had given Balair the butt kicking that he had needed. His Sistrai comrade was such a chauvinistic, macho, arrogant bastard who needed his ego periodically deflated now and then.
"Sire, may I be excused?" Zarbon asked calmly as possible. "I wish to tell Chestra goodbye before she leaves with Diamonique."
Frieza grinned. "Sure, why not?
Zarbon said a polite goodbye to his liege and left. He still had not forgiven Frieza for what he had tried to do to Chestra and him, but he was cordial to his master for his sake and his mate's. For now, the couple was thankful that the warlord was leaving them in peace and allowing them to be together without hassle. Maybe someday, he and Chestra would eventually leave the tyrant for good…maybe.
Until then, they had to be grateful for what they did have and could keep.
Zarbon was nearing the launching port of Frieza's ship when he noticed Jaden shouting at one of the space traffic controllers, the ones who usually helped space pods and smaller ships to take off to their destined planets. Jaden was letting the guy have it:
"What the hell do you mean they already left? Why did they leave early? Huh? Tell me!"
"Everything was ready early, Commander Jaden, please!" the frightened controller cried out in protest. "So Mid-Elite officers Diamonique and Chestra mutually agreed that it was best for them to get started on their assignment now. Because the preparations took a shorter time than expected, we allowed them to go right after the preflight checks. Please, Commander, if I had known that you wanted them to remain longer, I would have delayed the pod launchings. I am sorry, Commander Jaden, but I did not hear otherwise. Even Lord Frieza said if they were ready early, they could leave however early as they wished!"
Jaden shoved him away and growled, "Get me a pod ready for Avaran immediately!"
"Commander, has Lord Frieza assigned you to that planet as well?"
"Just do it, Harki! I don't have time for Twenty Thousand Questions! This is an emergency, if Lord Frieza asks. I've got to go; get me a pod ready!"
"Whatever you say, Commander," Harki squeaked, as he ran to do Jaden's bidding.
Zarbon had caught up with Jaden. Why would Jaden be going to Avaran as well? She was assigned to go clear planet Margush in less than two weeks, and Margush and Avaran were millions of light-years apart. There was no way that Jaden would get back in time to do the Margush assignment as well.
"Jaden," he inquired. "What's going on?"
The Rybanese warrior whirled around on him and said, "Chestra's in danger! Diamonique plans to kill her while they're on the Avaran assignment."
"What?" Zarbon exclaimed in horror. "Why?"
"From what I heard, Zarbon, Diamonique still wants you for herself, and she's willing to kill off Chestra to have you for yourself. If we don't hurry, Chestra will be seeing Enma Daiou before she sees us again."
The frantic pair ran to separate pods after Jaden had commanded Harki to have a pod prepared for Zarbon as well. Harki hurriedly had the pods prepared for their departure.
Planet Avaran, four days later, on the continent of Sarabi, in the Wouki Desert…
Frieza had correctly predicted Chestra and Diamonique's success in fighting against the Avarani. Despite all of the advanced war technology the Avarani had, Chestra and Diamonique were more than able to hold their own with them. Chestra had used her mind to telekinetically blow up almost all of the Avarani's landmines, killing many soldiers or crippling them in the process. She was also able to use her mind to turn the weapons against their users, killing them with their own warring machines. Diamonique had invoked a hailstorm, plus a snowstorm with a ki blast to the sky, and the severe weather that she had created, slowed down the survivors considerably.
There were five continents on Avaran, and so far, Chestra and Diamonique had almost managed to clear three of them within the last four days. Chestra tried not to think of all the innocent people, women and children, that she had killed. The guilt would often wake her up in the middle of the night, bringing back painful memories of the destruction on planets Ryban and Ghetti, the only planets that she had had any happiness on. Now instead of being the victim, she was the attacker, the murderer, and the one who was helping to bring chaos and sorrow to millions of innocent living beings.
She had cried several times over what she was doing at the times when she was unable to stay objective and focused on the assignment at hand. She did not like the fact that she had long ago lost track of how many lives she had taken, and she did not even want to think of how many more that she would have to take before Frieza no longer considered her useful.
Now she and Diamonique were sleeping in their separate tents in the remote desert region known as Wouki Desert. The night was unbearably balmy and humid, as the climate of the continent of Sarabi remained hot two-thirds of the year. Chestra and Diamonique were stripped down to their thin nightclothes in order to keep themselves cool.
Chestra was hugging her pillow, as she lay there in the sticky heat, wearing just her negligee with no blanket covering her. She hugged her pillow tighter, missing Zarbon and the comfort of his warm, hard body and his firm, strong arms. The lavender negligee that she was wearing clung tightly to her snowy flesh, making the thin cloth seem almost like a second skin. She fervently wiped her brow, as the sweat drenched her face, and then her body. Who had ever thought that nights could be so hot and humid?
Finally, she fell into a deep sleep, she now being oblivious to the intense heat that was threatening to bake her right out of her skin. While she was sleeping, a tall, slender figure crept into her tent and sat down next to her resting form. The figure turned Chestra's body towards its direction, and then the shadowy presence laid its hand on her chest. Chestra's nerves were turned on, and she awoke with a start. Recognizing her visitor, she launched her petite body upon the intruder, knocking the invader to the sandy ground. Chestra pinned her visitor to the ground, using her mind to restrain her would-be attacker. She had one small hand around her opponent's throat.
"What you are doing here?" Chestra demanded to know. "Diamonique, you weren't thinking of trying to attack me again, were you?" Chestra's pale green eyes darkened and narrowed, and Diamonique couldn't help, but flinch under her partner's intense, angry glare.
"I-I just wanted to make sure that you're all right," Diamonique said as smoothly as possible. Beads of sweat danced down her anxious face, as she worried whether Chestra would let her live or not. It was this anxiety, as well as the heat, that made Diamonique sweat so heavily. She and Chestra had spoken to each other as little as possible during their journey and the time that they had spent on Avaran against their victims. Diamonique was trying to think of a way to gracefully escape Chestra without bodily injury. Chestra was using her mind to pin her down, and Diamonique could not even lift a finger against her attacker.
"Will you let me up now, please?" she hissed at Chestra angrily.
"Not until you tell me the real reason that you were in my tent," Chestra persisted. "I would hate to think that you were trying to kill me again. Tell the truth, tell me!"
"Alright, alright, I will!" Diamonique said in a falsely compliant tone. "I must confess, Chestra, that I admired that new nightgown of yours, that one that Zarbon gave her with the red ribbon roses and the mauve silk-like fabric. It's low-cut, and yet demure. I just wanted to try it on, and see how it would look on me."
"We're in the middle of war, where we could get killed at any time, and you're worried about trying on my clothes?"
"Yes, yes, darling, and I realize now how foolish it was of me to even consider it. Truly, I am sorry, Chesty-I mean Chestra. At least tell me where Zarbon got it from you, hmm? I would like to buy one for myself."
"He got it from one of the shops on one of Frieza's planets-Eyevar, I believe it was. But that's not important right now, Diamonique, as we really do need to get some sleep." Chestra had calmed down considerably, but there was that little instinct telling her that Diamonique was up to something. But what?
She would find out soon enough.
"Can you let me up, please?" Diamonique begged her. "I will go right to my own tent and not bother you for the rest of the night."
Chestra sighed, "I suppose so." And with that, she telekinetically released Diamonique and allowed her to sit up.
That would prove to be a costly mistake.
Before Chestra could prepare herself, Diamonique fired a tiny, silver laser into Chestra's heart. Chestra screamed, as she felt her heart grow colder and colder. She clutched at her chest, and she could have sworn that her heart was freezing-literally!
It was!
Chestra's skin tone turned from snow to ash, her white skin now becoming gray, as she clutched at her chest frantically. Her breathing began to slow rapidly, as she grew faint. She emitted one final scream before she passed out completely, on her way now to a slow, agonizing death.
Diamonique laughed wickedly, as she happily watched Chestra fade away. "Thanks for helping me clear this wretched planet, Chesty, but I don't need you anymore! Don't worry, I'll take good care of Zarbon for you!"
And laughing manically, she leaned back against the wall of the tent, with her arms crossed, calmly, serenely watching Chestra began to die slowly. Diamonique smiled cruelly, with no regret for her evil deed, or pity for her archrival.
Chestra was no longer breathing, and her skin was now a pale shade of gray.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
A/N: Short chapter, I know, but I figured that this would be a good place to stop. (Don't you just hate cliffhangers, LOL.) Anyway, will Jaden and Zarbon be able to save Chestra in time, or has Diamonique finally succeeded in eradicating her once and for all?