Chapter 3
"The alien female set up camp by the Dragon Clan, father," Nail said the moment he strode through the entrance, an uncharacteristic anxiousness in the usual husky purr of his voice. "In the forested area by the lake. She wouldn't let us carry her, but we watched secretly until she settled."
"Hmmm." Guru peered through his ancient eyes at his alpha son, detecting with a bit of amusement the twitch in the young warrior's hands, the curious gleam in his wider-than-usual eyes, the quickness of his breath… This was the lad's first contact with any intelligent life other than his own kind.
And Nail was intrigued.
"A female," he hummed, recalling the smattering of species he was familiar with from before the virus. "What are her features?"
Nail's eyes widened, and all the exuberance of discovery broke the practiced reticence of his serious face. His fascination was inevitable, and Guru wondered just what kind of havoc this creature's presence would wreak on unchanging Namek if even his most stoic of warriors broke composure.
"Her skin is smoother than ours," Nail began, "with a shiny gray hue to it like polished stone. And she's strong, Guru. Perhaps a warrior of her kind, though she doesn't seem mentally disciplined," he frowned then. "Her reaction to her shipmates' deaths was…strange. She didn't mourn," he commented, small lines of concern already etching his face for this alien creature.
"Death," Guru began, lingering on the word for emphasis, "is a common occurrence amongst other species, son." He watched carefully as Nail's eyes narrowed in comprehension. "She might be coping with their passing in another way."
"I see," Nail said, his sympathy for the rest of the universe nearly tangible.
"What else did you observe about her?" Guru asked.
He shook himself and pondered. "Her irises. They're large and green like the sky, and she has a most unusual discoloring around her left eye - a brilliant yellow star-"
"A yellow birthmark?" Guru interrupted, familiar with the trait.
"Yes."
"And does she have hair the color of oil and blood, my son?"
Nail nodded slowly. "Depending on how the light hits it," he muttered, his mouth opening in curiosity. "You know what she is, father?"
"I do." Unbelievable, he thought. Of all the species that could possibly land on Namek… "She is from the planet Rameumptum." At Nail's further hesitation, he added, "A planet of intergalactic commerce. Its indigenous people are tolerant, if not kind to other species. Or at least they were before the disaster."
"Amazing," Nail whispered, and then caught his bottom lip in between his teeth like a tenderling. "I wonder why they came here," he pondered. "She speaks our language."
"Oh?" Guru blinked in wonderment. "Perhaps Etrack had more of an influence there than I had anticipated…"
Nail choked. "The Etrack, father?"
"The same," he answered patiently. "Rameumptum is where he was sent."
If Nail had been just curious before, now he was outright captivated. He shifted weight from one foot to the other, waiting anxiously for instruction. Guru would have chuckled, had the bouncing movement not aggravated his deteriorating organs.
The great patriarch was dying. His gigantism had enlarged him to the point where he could barely move. He was weighted down by massive folds, and even his eye ridges were so heavy that he could hardly open his eyes. The tinges of pain that had been plaguing him over the last few years only intensified instead of digressed.
He observed his son, the only child he had made with genes pulling from Nurturer, Warrior, and Leader all in one. Guru had created Nail after he reluctantly admitted that his days were short. At first he was concerned that the roles of Nurturer and Warrior would wash each other out, but they were just as potent and pure in the youth as one predisposed for those callings only. Nail was powerful…his strongest, yet he was meek and humble, loving more than dominating, even though Leader made him wise enough to rule over a people.
Guru knew he wasn't supposed to have favorites, but his alpha son made him immensely proud. The youth whom he would pass on the patriarchy to was schooled in much, as Guru had taken the time to teach him. But Nail was still innocent in life experience. It would do him well to familiarize himself with other species. After all, ignorance in leadership could equal disaster for a nation.
"The dragonballs won't be available for nearly another year," Guru finally commented, recalling the recent wish to restore a grassland area devastated by fire. "We won't be able to bring back her shipmates or space vessel for sometime."
Nail quirked his eye ridge. "What will we do with her?"
With a last minute analysis to weed out any loopholes that he'd missed, Guru voiced his decision. "Be hospitable, but cautious," he answered. "And I would have you acquaint yourself with the alien, Nail. Spend time with the creature, even at the cost of your other responsibilities. The lessons to be learned by a different species may benefit you more than a lifetime of teaching by me, my son."
A spark of enthusiasm flitted across Nail's reserved eyes before he bowed his head in reverence. "I won't disappoint you, Guru."
"You never have, lad," Guru said reassuringly. "You never have."
.
Axle rested her elbows on her knees as she nestled against the small lean-to she'd built. Her anger had just barely started to dissipate with the setting of Namek's suns, and now she stared up into the hazy dusk wondering just what the hell she was going to do now.
Etrack had been right. The two Namekians she'd met earlier were indeed peaceful. Had she not been so upset with her deceased comrade, she might have laughed at their reactions to her. But would they hinder or help her to find the dragonballs? Thanks to Gauge, she was already going to have to use up two of the wishes to bring back her shipmates, and the ship. And as for the third… Would the Namekians interfere?
Suddenly, she felt a presence touch down not far from her lean-to. It lingered but did not draw near. Great, she thought. Just what I need. To be swamped with a bunch of technologically backwards tenderlings who don't know the difference between me and a rare bird.
She sighed heavily. "I know you're there, namekian, so you might as well come out," she said casually as she stuck a long blade of grass between her teeth, gazing nonchalantly at the calm lake in front of her.
There was a small hesitation, and then she heard the soft step of his shoes on the grass as he walked up next to her. She glanced up through slitted eyes, and almost lost her grip on her projection of bored annoyance.
Egads… What a specimen. Now that her vision wasn't blurred red by the ire of losing her crew and ship, she was able to appreciate to a degree just how aesthetically pleasing the warrior from earlier was.
The shimmering dusk bronzed his broad, massive profile as he stood upright and tall. The odd, pink patches that made Etrack look like a leper, somehow made this namekian look like a deity. His pants were white, and his muscled upper body was bare. But the most startling thing about him wasn't his physique so much as the expression on his chiseled face.
It said 'kind'…'gentle'… As though having such obvious strength didn't taint his ego or temperament one iota. She clicked her tongue. Like that was a possibility. He was probably just better at hiding his uglier side than most…
Either way, she turned back to the lake, figuring it'd be easier to maintain a conversation if she wasn't directly looking at him. "You're curious," she analyzed. "But if you intend to lock me up in a glass cage for display, then it might be better for your health if you left."
After a few moments of strained silence, he spoke up.
"My people aren't like that," he purred in a soft, but husky voice.
She snorted, surprised at his ignorance. "Not yet," she said. "Just wait until they know I'm here," at his silence, she continued. "How many forms of intelligent life have your people been exposed to?"
He was quiet.
"Yeah. That's what I thought," she said as she tongued the blade of grass from one side of her mouth to the other. "Right now, I only have you spying on me, but give it time. Pretty soon I'll be pestered by herds of namekians wanting to get a glance at the foreign creature that got stranded on their planet."
"I…" he hesitated, and she took a slight pleasure in knowing that she made him uncomfortable. "I wanted to make sure you were all right."
She snorted. "Oh, naturally. That sounds much more altruistic than just being obsessed with the freak alien, eh?"
"I'm telling the truth," he countered, more strength in his tone. "You didn't mourn the loss of your comrades."
Suddenly, visuals swamped her mind of their bloated, burned faces and charred, disfigured bodies. It had been a horrible sight to see, only alleviated somewhat by her earlier belligerence, but now that that was gone… She had to bite back a sudden wave of nausea, and hung her head between her knees. "I was trying to avoid that, but thanks for bringing it up," she spat. "Ass."
He winced. "I didn't mean-"
"Leave me alone, eh namekian?" she said.
"We can help you, if you'll let us," he said, his persistence beginning to break her down.
"I don't need your help," she said without looking at him. "I've got a water source here, and felled two birds a bit ago"
"Felled two…birds?" he asked uneasily. She looked up at his worried face, and jerked her chin at the lean-to. The warrior turned his head and grimaced when he saw the corpses. "You killed them…"
"Listen, plant boy," she said, using her delight at his discomfort as a welcome distraction to the memories of her shipmates' corpses. "Most species need more than water and sun to survive. The longer I stay here, the more of your pretty creatures get blasted."
It took a moment for his pained expression to relax, and he sighed and looked back at her. "I understand." Then he frowned curiosity, as his train of thought shifted to another aspect of her being there. "You knew Etrack?"
Another sore spot. It didn't surprise her they remembered the great namekian, even after all this time. She blinked back the sting in her eyes. "Of course I did. How else would I know your language?"
When he opened his mouth to ask her another question, she held a hand up. "Let me remind you that I not only lost a ship today, but my comrades as well," she said, and locked stares with him. "I'm not in the mood for conversation."
He wasn't offended. If anything, her comment seemed to make him even more concerned. The tall namekian crouched down and bowed his head until his eyes were level with hers. She flinched when he placed a heavy hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
"The Dragon Clan is right over the hill," he said softly as he cocked his head in said direction. "You are welcome there. And as for your friends and your ship, we can wish them back as soon as the dragonballs are available again. They're-"
"I know what they are," she said quietly, surprised that he just offered them to her. Just like that. Without proof of trust, or anything.
He gave her a curious look, but to his credit kept his question to himself. "Well, then," he began as he stood to his full height. "I'll be back later. When you are ready, I would like to hear about your people, and your travels in space."
He was so dang polite about it, all she could do was nod her head.
"My name is Nail."
"Axle," she said.
"Axle," he repeated. Her name sounded almost delicate on his lips, and she had to bite back a laugh, as she was anything but.
"Until later, then." A curt nod and he hopped into the sky.
Hmph, she thought to herself when he was gone. If all namekians are even half that pleasant, I'll be hard-pressed to leave when the time comes.
