Disclaimer: Hmmm… DBZ and its characters are not mine. But Shani, the Eternal Star, the Legion and the Scepter of Night are.
Notes: Well… still can't tell ya what happened in the temple yet… it'd wreck the surprise… but here's some more info on the reason he was sent there…
Shadows of the Past: Chapter 13
The door to Frieza's chambers slid open silently, and Zarbon greeted them with an amused little smirk. " Well done, Prince Vegeta, the mission to Pretoria 3 was an impressive little outing. Please, go right in, Frieza is expecting you. Napa, may I have a word with you? "
Napa gave the Saurian a suspicious look, but nodded, and allowed the Prince to proceed into Frieza's study. Vegeta too was curious as to what Zarbon might have to say to his bodyguard, but knew better than to keep Frieza waiting.
The room he found himself in was outfitted with several shelves of books and scrolls, written in scripts of everything from the Empire's Common, to Saiyan, to gibberish and even hieroglyphic pictograms. In a corner, was a master communications console, capable of broadcasting and receiving transmissions from the deepest space, and several holographic display and recorder devices. It seemed Frieza did spend a good deal of his time here… but then again, with this many heirs and heiresses imprisoned here, he was probably the only one he felt he could trust to baby-sit his investment.
Frieza was in his familiar floating throne, absorbed in reading an ancient scroll spread out before him. Vegeta waited emotionlessly for the disgusting reptilian thing to address him. Finally, after an annoyingly long wait, Vegeta felt the garnet eyes of the tiny emperor upon him. He almost shivered, but suppressed it, he hated to admit it, but the power emanating from the bastard was unfathomable. " Hello, Prince Vegeta. I trust you are as pleased as I am about your rapid conquest of Pretoria 3? "
" Yes, Lord Frieza. " Vegeta nodded, but there was no emotion at all in the words.
Frieza almost frowned, but smirked instead. " Well, if you are still bored, perhaps you might be interested in accompanying me on a bit of a training exercise? "
Vegeta arched one eyebrow and waited for Frieza to explain. He didn't have to wait long. " Well, I need to pay a visit to a few friends of mine, over in the Henara star quadrant, and this would be a good opportunity for you to practice your fighting skills, since it looks as if we are going to go to war with them. Napa and Radditz will be coming along, of course, this time. But, I think this might be a little too dangerous for Shani to come, I am told the two of you are getting to be good friends. "
" That is a bit of an overstatement. " Vegeta shrugged, his expression remained disinterested, even though he knew he missed her.
" Good, " Frieza purred, smiling like a shark circling prey. " Then you won't be missing anything while we are gone? "
" Of course not, Lord Frieza. " Vegeta shrugged, smirking slightly.
" I trust that you have had plenty of time to acquaint yourself to your classmates? "
" Yes, Lord Frieza. "
" Excellent, how do you like it here, so far? "
" I suppose it's alright. " Vegeta lied, trying desperately to keep the venom out of his voice. " I like the physical training and combat classes. "
Frieza frowned a bit at the unspoken question in those words. Then he shrugged, deciding if Vegeta knew the teacher had been killed then he could be honest about their timing in taking him on his next mission. They were going to have to stop underestimating the intelligence of this brat. " Of course, while we are away, the school will receive a few new instructors in that department. When we get back, there will be a few classes more suited to your ability level; they weren't nearly challenging enough for you. I wanted to ask you if there are any of your classmates at school that you think would be able to form a team with you, if they spent a little extra time in the coliseum training while you are assisting me? "
" No, I don't think so. Gunnar is the second strongest, and he is already Captain Ginyue's favorite. "
" Zarbon said the same thing… And he suggested that we do something that has never been done before. You will be a team on your own. "
" What? "
" All that is really important are the points that the team earns together during their schooling. You have already demonstrated that you are capable of these missions on your own. If you can accomplish these missions alone, I see no reason to include other team members. "
" And if Napa has to step in, what then? "
" Their part in these missions will not be scored. Only your performance will be evaluated. I have spoken at length with Zarbon, and Captain Ginyue. Both of them agree, we need to see how you function as a fighter and a leader, Napa and Radditz will not be needed every time, but when they are, they will be there. Do you agree to our little experiment? "
" Yes. " Vegeta just shrugged, not figuring he had much choice.
" So, after your mission, did you have any questions for me? I wanted to speak to you directly about the Temple… "
" What did you send me there for? Capturing all those prisoners seems pointless now. "
" Come with me, Prince Vegeta, I want to show you something. " Frieza smirked coldly, and led him to one of the holographic display units. Tapping out a few commands, the image of a library appeared in the beams of light. As it did, the image zeroed in on one shelf of books. One of the tomes was removed from the shelves and opened. The text was unintelligible to Vegeta, but the picture was plainly of the Temple where he had gone. " This book, in fact, that whole library is part of my personal collection, detailing the legendary artifacts that can in one way or another, grant their possessor eternal life. This particular text, tells of the Eternal Star. Said to be a fallen star from the night sky, the diamond may be the most valuable treasure in the entire universe. Its history is a long one, its past recorded in the tales and legends of countless civilizations through out the ages, and all over space and time. It's not known where it originally came from, or where it is now, but there are temples like this one all over space. "
" So what is it, what does it do? "
" To understand that, you have to let me tell you more about it, little prince. " Vegeta nodded reluctantly, hating Frieza's pet name for him, but he said nothing, allowing Frieza to continue. " Thousands, or perhaps millions of years ago, in a colossal battle, a band of great warriors dedicated to Destruction, Chaos and War, met their end in a battle against the forces of light. The leader of each side was mortally wounded. The first, took the souls of his warriors, and bound them to his own, and to his favorite weapon. Promising to rise again from the mist of time in rebirth, the Dark Templars, all but one died with their leader. Their souls were brought into the Scepter of Night as the force that thought they had won, could only watch in horror. The leader of their opposition was also dying. Knowing that they had no way to heal her wounds, and that there would be no one to thwart the Templars upon their promised return if she died, she gave her spirit to the jewel that had led them to the Scepter of Night. " The image in the hologram changed to show the enormous diamond that he had seen in the Temple, and the woman from the statue. She was beautiful, and very exotic looking with her long white hair, light skin and deep purple eyes. She wore the same clothing as in the statue, and she was unmistakably Elven. Small, graceful, and smoothly sensuous, she wasn't colored like Shani, but the ethereal beauty and regal poise was the same, and so were her pointed ears, and the large, kind eyes. Vegeta allowed himself to be interested, especially as the image in the hologram again showed the diamond, and she was inside of it, asleep. " According to legend, the Eternal Star and the sorceress now trapped inside of it sleep, awaiting the return of the Dark Templars. But the story doesn't stop there. Through the rest of their lives, those who fought beside her that day, kept the Star, guarding it and protecting it from those who would try to claim it. As they did, they traveled the universe, in search of the Scepter of Night, which was taken from the battlefield and vanished seemingly without a trace, taking the last of the Templars with it. The descendants of these Warriors still exist. They are called The Legionaries of the Eternal Star… or just the Legion. These warriors spent the last few thousand years fighting my ancestors. Finally my father killed their champion and the Legionaries were forced to retreat. Without a Guardian, the Eternal Star can be claimed by whoever is strong and clever enough to take it. Whoever possesses the Star will be immortal, invincible. "
Vegeta gave him a dubious look. " There's a rock that can make you invincible? "
" A diamond the size of this one is no mere chunk of rock. " Frieza chuckled, " But, yes, it can. "
" If the Legionaries lost their champion, and they had the Star, how do you know it'll make you invincible? "
" My father showed his ruthlessness in the battle, attacking those who could not defend themselves. To save them, The Legion Champion gave his immortality to their planet, and took the blast head on, in case it got through. When he died, the aura of invincibility vanished, but the Star, the rest of the Legionaries and the pathetic commoners he died to save, also disappeared, presumably to keep my father from claiming the star. My belief is that the Star… the sorceress in it, awakened at the danger, and realizing her warriors were too injured to continue, retreated. "
" Why would the your father do something so dishonorable? "
" Perhaps honor isn't all it's cracked up to be, but you will realize this for yourself eventually, Prince Vegeta. Ruling much of the known universe is not an easy task. I do not think it can be done… with ones honor in tact. Besides, it is victory that history remembers, the means, however inglorious, are best forgotten. " Frieza chuckled lightly.
Vegeta scowled at the tyrant as he turned away from the display unit, and pulled a map from one of the shelves in his study. Vegeta followed Frieza to a large table in the center of the room and arched one eyebrow, as the map was unfolded from its case. It was large, made of leather, and showed the universe as if each star quadrant were a separate country. Still, out in the deep space between stars, were pictures of huge, impossible creatures. Among them were Dragons, giant fish, and several types of what looked like giant aquatic dragons. There were Energy Dolphins, and even a picture of an energy storm. And, in the center of the map, was a picture of a white fortress, with high towers and a purple diamond hovering above it. " This is the Fortress of The White Legion. Unfortunately, it is no longer located here. But it is the resting place of the Star… wherever it is. Long ago, the Temples and the Fortress were connected by magical means, and when these planets asked the Legion for help, at the Temples, the Fortress would send them there. Their last champion was their greatest warrior, he is dead and they are frightened… They know it is only a matter of time before they fall. "
" It seems to me that you ought to be more interested in the Scepter of Night. " Vegeta sighed. " I can't believe an object like the Eternal Star could be used for conquest. "
Frieza laughed outright, puzzling Vegeta. Then garnet met obsidian and the young prince had to try not to shiver again. " I am glad to see you are so intelligent. Would you like to see the Scepter of Night? "
Vegeta jerked as if struck. Frieza had the Scepter of Night already? " What? "
" I found it ages ago. It doesn't bestow immortality, but rebirth, reincarnation. He who wields it is invincible, I of course, have no need of weapons, but I still keep it. "
" But if the two with these things are meant to fight, how can they hurt each other? "
" You certainly are full of questions today, little prince. " Frieza said off handedly. Vegeta scowled at him, too much curiosity was unbecoming, but somehow he felt he had to know. " But, your curiosity amuses me… The Star and the Scepter are meant to fight each other, their most powerful champions using only their skill and strength; no one can interfere, because these two can't be hurt by anything but each other. They are chosen by destiny to represent the light and dark in everything in the battle for ultimate control. Or so the legends say… I have many of these artifacts, these treasures. I possess the Dragon's Egg Emerald, which at the end of time is supposed to hatch a dragon that will begin the cycle again. The Hand of Fate, the touch of which is supposed to bring death to the gods themselves. Most have no real power, I was extremely disappointed when I finally located the Horn of the White Unicorn and found that it can't heal all wounds instantly. Dragons' blood isn't really poisonous if you were more powerful than the Dragon it came from. But… there is something about the Legends of the Star and the Scepter…" Frieza paused for a moment, then chuckled. " This display unit stores and catalogs all information about the star, its powers and its history. I want you to study it, including the scouting reports we have received from a few planets beyond the territory line. I will be too busy to continue searching myself, for a while. I will make it worth your while to find it, Prince Vegeta. I will have the unit taken to your quarters later this afternoon. But it will have to wait until we return from this little training exercise, and I want you to continue to keep paying attention to your class work. Do you understand? "
" Yes, Lord Frieza. When are we departing? "
" You have two hours before you are to report to my ship. You are dismissed. "
" Thank you, sire. " It burned Vegeta deeply to have to say that, but he knew he had no choice. Frieza seemed awfully obsessed with his collections. What was he afraid of that even with a power level of supposedly one million, he hid behind objects? He was obsessed with immortality, but why? No creature, no planet, no empire was meant to last forever. That was why it was so important to train hard and fight often, no one was meant to know how long he would live. He packed his things feeling numb inside. He would miss Shani, but was determined not to go see her while Frieza would be paying attention. So he had to keep studying, be his own team in preparation for the war games, find the Eternal Star and keep training? He snorted, complaining about it was beneath him, but he certainly didn't like it. Frieza would pay for this. He would pay dearly, and no matter how many treasures he collected, Frieza couldn't hide from the Super Saiyan forever. Well, Vegeta told himself, he wasn't one yet… but it was inevitable, it had to be.
Hehehehe… Setting up a quest that'll take Veggie head a long time to complete, and an eventual Sequel… but the sequel won't happen until after GT…
Well, tell me what ya think. I know this chapter was pretty dull, but that's why I tried to keep it short.
Love ya,
Lady Valtaya