PART I: ASTORIANS VS. SAIYANS
Chapter One: Saiyans Attack!
"Dirkan!" Shalila cried to her closest friend excitedly. "Mantros
is holding Tayla up in front of the camera, so that we can see her! Look at my
new granddaughter! Isn't she beautiful?" She and Dirkan were in Shalila's
private reading and computer room, and they were watching Shalila's relatives on
a large screen. The family was on a spaceship not too far from planet Astoria
and the moon of Chloe.
Dirkan was very quiet. Something was wrong. He knew that things
were going too well lately for the Clan of Chloe. Eighteen months ago,
Shalila's husband, Bajal, her son, Mantros, and her daughter-in-law, Tika, had
taken Mantros' family into outer space to visit the nearby planet of Hysle, in
hopes of convincing Hysle to join forces with Astoria against Frieza. Now the
Mantros Chloe family was coming home. Mantros had left his oldest daughter,
Gorna, also the next in line to rule Astoria after him, behind to help her
grandmother rule Astoria. He had taken ten of his twenty children, and Tayla
had been born on the Korin (which was named after one of Shalila's foster
fathers, the white senzu-bean growing cat on Earth). Now in a week's time,
Shalila was supposed to meet Tayla for the first time, and Shalila was thrilled,
especially after Mantros told her of Tayla's great power and intelligence.
Right now, Shalila and her husband, Bajal, the Superior Granden of Astoria were
happily discussing Tayla's potential to become a healior (a warrior who is also
a healer).
Bajal was also telling Shalila how much he loved her and how much he
was looking forward to seeing her again. Dirkan gave Shalila a small wistful
smile when he heard Bajal's declaration of love; he still loved Shalila and had
loved her throughout the last sixty years of Shalila and Bajal's marriage.
There were times when Dirkan regretted not marrying Shalila himself, but the
Namek knew that he had done the right thing in insisting that she marry Bajal
instead. After all, the Clan of Chloe (and most of Astoria, for that matter)
would have never accepted a marriage between Shalila and Dirkan, not at that
time anyway. Also, being a Namek, Dirkan could only reproduce children by
spitting eggs out of his mouth, and this he was no longer able to do so because
of a virus that had destroyed his reproductive abilities. The Clan of Chloe was
one of the most powerful families in the Rosetta Galaxy, and it was Shalila's
duty to give them an heir to take her place as Astoria's ruler someday. The
Clan of Chloe and the rest of Astoria would only accept a Clan of Chloe member
as their ruler, and that was the main reason that Dirkan had refused to marry
Shalila. He would not hear of Shalila turning the throne of Astoria over to
someone else, so that she could be with him either. Shalila was the strongest
Astorian of all, even stronger than her husband, and Astoria and the Rosetta
Galaxy needed her too badly for her to abandon them to someone else.
Dirkan sighed, but turned his thoughts back to more pressing
matters. What was that strange evil ki that he sensed coming from near the
Korin? No, it couldn't be! No! Not them! Anyone, but them!
Dirkan emitted a sharp cry of terror, and Shalila turned around
abruptly to see what had startled her oldest friend. "Dirkan!" she cried,
horrified. "What is wrong?" She ran to him and embraced him, after discreetly
turning off the screen, so that Bajal could not see her hold Dirkan. Bajal had
long ago accepted Dirkan, but was never entirely comfortable with Dirkan and
Shalila's close relationship.
"Dirkan!" Shalila cried again, "Tell me! What is wrong?" Her face
was white as one of Astoria's seven moons, and it created a sharp contrast
against her molasses-red hair.
Dirkan took several deep breaths before he spoke. "The Saiyans are
here, love!" he cried. "They are going to attack your family's ship!"
"No! It can't be!" Shalila screamed. "No!" She released Dirkan
and ran back to her screen and turned it back on. She turned the microphone up
loud so that the entire family could hear her.
"Bajal! Mantros! Tika! Everyone listen! The Saiyans are coming to
attack you! Flee immediately! Get out of there now!" Shalila cried in terror,
her face still white. She was clenching her fists and breathing heavily.
Dirkan was breathing heavily also, but he managed to regain his composure for
the most part. He took Shalila's arm and quickly led her out of the reading and
computer room. Shalila had started to cry, for it had been seven years since
they had to deal with the Saiyans, and she herself felt that they had become
stronger since their last battle.
Shalila and Dirkan were running through the corridors of the opulent
Palace of Chloe to reach the landing docks that would have speedy ships to get
them into space quickly. Shalila and Dirkan then jumped into the air and flew
quickly to the landing docks where the Palace of Chloe's ships were docked.
Shalila was still breathing heavily, for the full effect of the Saiyans' return
had not completely reached her. She was still in shock, for the last seven
years had been peaceful. Even Frieza and King Cold had not bothered them during
this time.
"Shalila, you must calm down for your family's sake!" Dirkan
commanded. "We must get to a ship immediately to go save them!" He pulled out
a radio from his Astorian fighting uniform and shouted through it, so that all
of the Palace of Chloe inmates could hear them: "Now hear this! The Saiyans
have returned! The Saiyans have returned! All available warriors and healiors
are ordered to go to outer space immediately where the Korin is located. You
will find the ship located on your scouters, but not the Saiyan ships, for they
can block our radars and detectors, so be careful!" Dirkan was also the
commander of Astoria's military forces, as well as Shalila's plenipotentiary on occasion.
By the time, Shalila and Dirkan had reached Shalila's private small
warship, the Palace of Chloe had been thrown in a state of panic. The warriors
and healiors had quickly arrived at the landing docks and were already launching
their small warships into space to fight the Saiyans and save Shalila's family.
The rest of Shalila's family that had remained on Astoria had quickly gathered
together to fight to save their family members and were already leaving for
outer space.
The Korin
Bajal was gathering together the warriors and the healiors that had
been on the ship. The ship consisted mainly of Clan of Chloe members, but there
were a few from other clans as well. The healers and those too young or weak to
fight had already been put on escape ships. Tika was in charge of them, for she
was just a healer and could not fight, but she was a great organizer and
protector (she had to be with twenty children!). Tika was carrying Tayla with
her in a carrying sack on her back and was running around to get her children
and their families safely on the escape pods. Gracina, the twelfth oldest
child, was helping her mother get the non-fighters to the escape pods, as well
as being her mother's bodyguard. Gracina was a healior, only sixteen years old,
but considered to be the wisest (next to her older sister, Marya, a Priestess)
and most capable of Mantros and Tika's children.
Tika thought that it was a pity that Gracina couldn't be Superior
Gran Heiress Apparent instead, but Gracina was not the oldest child. The order
for rulers of Astoria was traditionally "oldest child of oldest child of oldest
child" unless the current rulers of Astoria deemed it otherwise. Mantros would
inherit Astoria's throne after Shalila died, and then it would be Gorna, then
Gorna's son, Rojal, and afterwards Rojal's firstborn child when he married.
Besides, Gracina could always serve as Gorna's advisor, although she and Gorna
didn't always get along well.
Tika was feeding Tayla some milk mixed with saltwater from a bottle
after Gracina insisted that her mother sit and rest for a moment while she
helped the others to escape. Astorians need saltwater to survive, and they
require ten times more salt to live than most other beings. Tika and Gracina
were chewing on salt tablets when suddenly the Korin began to shake violently.
The Saiyans had started to attack!
Gracina shakily tottered over to a window, as some of the Astorians
began screaming in terror at the powerful Saiyan blast that had rocked the ship.
Gracina herself screamed when she saw two Saiyans blast the first three escape
pods that had left the Korin with a fatal Final Flash, a trademark Saiyan move.
"Don't release any more pods!" Gracina ordered the remaining
Astorians. She recognized instantly that the ship was doomed unless her father
and grandfather, the most powerful warriors on the ship, could once again fight
the Saiyans off, like they had done seven years ago. Gracina pulled out her
sword, powered up her ki level, and prepared herself to join her family in
fighting the Saiyans.
Tika was shaking with fear, and baby Tayla began to cry loudly.
Gracina quickly sang an ancient Astorian lullaby, which calmed Tayla down
somewhat. Tika wanted to cry and wail herself, but she was the wife of a
powerful Clan of Chloe warrior, as well as the mother of the future ruler of
Astoria, so she had to be brave. Nieca, the second youngest before Tayla, ran
over to her mother and Tayla. Nieca told Gracina, "I wanna fight too!"
"No, Nieca!" Gracina told her firmly. Nieca was only five, and was
training to be a healer, not a warrior. Her power level was not very high.
"Nieca, stay here with Mother and Tayla."
"But I want to fight too!" Nieca shrieked. Gracina sighed, and once
again she told Nieca no. Tika calmed down enough to settle the matter, and she
put Nieca in her place and said that Nieca could not fight. Nieca, a sulky
child by nature, sat down, crossed her shoulders, and glared at Gracina.
Meanwhile, in the front of the ship, one of the Saiyans, a
Third-Class fighter named Bardock had blasted a hole in the ship's roof. He was
the leader of this particular band of Saiyans, and Frieza had sent them to
destroy this ship.
Frieza had decided to once again resume his feud with the Clan of
Chloe family, especially when he heard of some strong powers coming from some of
the Clan of Chloe children. Frieza had been having nightmares about Shalila
having a descendent even more powerful than her that could eventually destroy
him. He had also learned from one of his spies on planet Hysle about baby
Tayla's birth. The spy had told Frieza about the child's astounding power level
via radio when the Mantros Chloe family had been visiting friends on Hysle.
Tayla had been born on the Korin, just before the family had landed on Hysle.
The spy, one of Frieza's wisest, warned Frieza that this little girl could grow
up one day to destroy him. Frieza was not about to let that happen. He was
already worried enough about the Saiyans, especially when Zarbon, one of his
best men, had warned him that the Saiyans could be a strong threat when they
banded together.
Frieza had been popping more aspirin and antacids lately than his
doctors advised because of the threat of both the Saiyans and the Astorians, the
two most powerful races in the Rosetta Galaxy. Just the thought of a Saiyan or
a Clan of Chloe child (Frieza wasn't as fazed about the lower level Astorians)
being strong enough to destroy him was enough to give Frieza a migraine. At
least the Saiyans and the Astorians had never formed an alliance, for then
Frieza would truly have more cause for worry. If the Saiyans and the Astorians
banded together, they could definitely destroy Frieza and the entire Planet
Trade.
Bardock wasn't one of the best Saiyan fighters, but he was good
enough to wipe out some of Shalila's family, even the baby Tayla. Frieza was
silently hoping back on his mother ship that Bardock and his companions wouldn't
screw up this time, like they did seven years ago, when Frieza had sent the then
teenager Bardock to the moon of Chloe to destroy it. Shalila and Dirkan and the
strongest Clan of Chloe members had too easily had defeated Bardock and his
minions, and drove them off of Chloe. Too many Saiyans and other henchmen had
been destroyed during that battle, including a couple of Frieza's younger
relatives.
At this moment, Bardock had crashed into the Chloe ship, and he was
staring straight into the eyes of Superior Granden Bajal and Mantros. Bajal
glared at him darkly, saying angrily, "Take your fellow monkeys and leave this
ship now, or all you Saiyans will taste my blade!" Bajal pulled out his sword
and held it up to Bardock's throat.
Bardock, who had become much stronger since the last time he and
Bajal had fought, laughed arrogantly. He had enjoyed fighting against Bajal the
last time they had met, even though Bajal had nearly killed him. Bardock had
almost died by Bajal's hands, but when he had managed to escape Chloe, he had
been treated for his wounds and had become mightier than ever. (Saiyans become
stronger every time they are seriously injured and manage to recover from it.)
Although Bardock knew that Bajal was indirectly responsible for his increased
strength, he was angry enough with Bajal to want revenge.
"I'm going to kill you first, Superior Granden, and then your new
granddaughter will be next!" Bardock roared. "This grandbaby isn't going to
become stronger than us Saiyans!"
Gracina had joined her father and grandfather by then, but Bajal and
Bardock didn't notice her presence right away. Bajal (the most conceited of all
the Astorian male fighters) was as arrogant as Bardock himself, and he growled
back at his old enemy, "I dare you to try it! Just remember what I did to you
on Chloe! You're lucky that you escaped!"
At this time, some of Bardock's comrades had already invaded the ship and were blasting the Astorians with huge ki attacks. The Astorians reflected these attacks back at the Saiyans with their trademark move: the Mirror Shield attack. The Saiyans were taking some serious damage, but then so were the Astorians, for it takes much ki to repeatedly use
the Mirror Shield attack.
(The Mirror Shield attack consists of reflecting power attacks back
at the enemy. In other words it causes an opponent's power attack to backfire
against them. For example, if an Astorian is attacked by a Big Bang, the
Astorian can hold out his or her hands and throw the Big Bang back at the
opponent, causing the opponent to be damaged by his own attack.)
Bajal and Bardock both leapt out of the ship onto the ship's roof.
They had powered up and were now fighting with swords (Bardock was also an
excellent swordsman, although sword-fighting was not often taught to Saiyans.)
Both Astorians and Saiyans can survive exposed in space for a long time, and
Bajal and Bardock were especially adept at this. Finally they decided to throw
off their extra-heavy vests and swords and fought in hand-to-hand combat,
kicking and punching fiercely. Bardock shoved his fist into Bajal's throat
while Bajal shoved his fist into Bardock's stomach. The fight so far was evenly
matched, and both men were giving some serious damage as well as taking some.
Below deck, Gracina and her father, Mantros, were fighting the
Saiyans with swords and kicks. Gracina managed to slash several Saiyans, and in
one case, she managed to chop a weaker Saiyan's head off with her saber.
Gracina screamed in horror when she did that; this was her first battle ever and
the first time that she had ever killed anyone. Gracina's face paled, but
Mantros snapped at his daughter sharply, "Get used to it, daughter! You will
have to kill more Saiyans before this is over with!"
If it is ever over with, Gracina thought to herself, but she knew
that her father was right. Mantros had not meant to be so sharp with his
favorite daughter, but he could not afford to have her go into shock and terror
at her first killing, for she was needed too badly as a fighter. Mantros
blasted several Saiyans to death with a few Mirror Shield attacks. Gracina
finally recovered enough to use a Rings of Saturn Scarf attack on a couple of
malicious Saiyans, and she used it to steal their ki and give it to herself.
Her ki increased significantly, as did Mantros' when he used Rings of Saturn
Scarf a few times. Mantros, Gracina, and the other Astorian warriors and
healiors were succeeding so far, just as they did before.
That is until Bardock threw Bajal, the strongest warrior on the
ship, right through the roof of the Korin! Bajal landed right on top of his
son, Mantros, knocking him right in the back of the head and ending Mantros'
latest Rings of Saturn Scarf move. Gracina ran to her father and grandfather
after she slashed a Saiyan's chest open with her sword, and she tried to pull
the heavy, muscular Bajal off of her father. The girl-healior screamed when she
realized that Bajal was not responding to her moving him.
Bajal was dead.
Bardock had killed Bajal by forcing a deadly ki attack right through
the strong warrior's heart, causing it to explode. Gracina saw the large hole
in her grandfather's chest, and cried aloud when she saw the blue blood pouring
out of it (an Astorian's blood is always blue, even when it comes in contact
with the air). Mantros screamed in horror like a banshee when he realized that
his father, the Superior Granden of Astoria, the most powerful male Astorian
warrior, was dead. But Mantros did not scream for long, for Bardock, tired of
playing with the Astorians, quickly and neatly sliced off Mantros' head with his
sword before Gracina could stop him.
"You son of an ape!" she screamed in horror as she watched her
father's bloody head roll away her father's body and near another Saiyan's foot
where the Saiyan squashed it under his steel boot like it was a melon. Gracina
screamed louder than before and became paralyzed with fear. Bardock's
companion, Yugash, grabbed Gracina by her gold hair and slapped her across the
face to make her shut up. He picked her up by her hair and kissed her hard.
"How'd you like to become a Saiyan's wife?" Yugash asked
triumphantly. "I need a strong spirited girl like you to give me a powerful
son!"
"Go to Hades!" Gracina shrieked and spat in Yugash's face. Yugash
laughed, not bothered at least by Gracina's spitting on him. Gracina struggled
against him, but Yugash was holding her in his arms by then, and his grip was
too strong for Gracina to use any of the trademark Astorian moves.
Except for Electric Touch.
Gracina electrocuted Yugash when she gripped his waist. Yugash
yelled in pain and finally released his captive. Gracina grabbed her sword
again and aimed it for Yugash's neck. Yugash kicked her in the stomach for
refusing him, and Bardock's companion, the Saiyan that had squashed Mantros'
head, hit her hard in the back of the head, rendering Gracina unconscious and
therefore helpless. The tall, slender girl fell down next to her dead
grandfather in a dead heap.
Elsewhere on the Korin, the other Astorians, sensing and realizing
that their three strongest fighters were out of the race, began to lose heart,
and therefore the battle against the Saiyans. The Astorians were weakening
faster than before, for now more Saiyans had invaded the ship and now greatly
outnumbered the Astorians. Three Saiyans were blocking the way to the escape
pods, and so no more Astorians could flee. Most of the non-fighting Astorians
were now dead.
Tika was hiding in a pantry and fully concealing her ki. She had
encased herself, Nieca, and baby Tayla in a small Shield Field to protect them,
since Nieca and Tayla had not yet learned to conceal their ki levels. Tika was
very weary, for she had just barely escaped from a rapacious Saiyan, which she
had just managed to stab in the chest with her tiny dagger. Tika had been
fortunate then, for she had not been strong, but neither had been the Saiyan
(the weakest warrior of the band). Tika was sobbing quietly, for she had felt
her husband die, and the grief threatened to rip her heart apart. Nieca was
crying too, and baby Tayla was sniffling, preparing to wail. Tika recovered
only long enough to try to quiet her daughters down, so that the Saiyans would
not hear them. Tika ripped open her bodice and pushed her breast into Tayla's
mouth to feed and distract her. Tayla quickly accepted her mother's breast, and
Tika then gave Nieca a chocolate sugarplum for the child to chew on. Tika
prayed that Shalila, Dirkan and the other Astorian fighters would save them
soon...
Outer Space
...But Shalila, Dirkan, and the others were not faring much better.
Two more Saiyan ships had now arrived to destroy Shalila Chloe's family, and the
Clan of Chloe, along with several other clans, were now occupied with fending
those Saiyans off, and only a small band of Astorians that were on Shalila's
private warship were available to go to the Korin to save the surviving
Astorians aboard. In this small band were Shalila, Dirkan, and Gorna, thirty
years old, along with Bajal (Gorna's twenty-seven-year-old brother), Etros
(Gorna's husband), Lektron (Etros' brother), and several more of Gorna and
Bajal's siblings. More Astorian clans were coming to help, for the news had
been broadcast on the radios throughout the planet.
Finally, after an hour of wading through Saiyans and killing them
with Mirror Shields and Rings of Saturn Scarves (thankfully none of the Astorian
moons were full that day, or some of the Saiyans would have been Oozarus [giant
monkeys] by then), they managed to reach the Korin. Shalila felt very few
Astorian ki levels, and this caused her to cry out in dismay because that meant
that very few Astorians on that ship were now alive. Dirkan, sensing Shalila's
worst fears, tried to reassure her that they could still save the others. But
this was not much comforting to Shalila, who, deep down in her heart, knew that
her beloved husband and son were dead. Shalila wanted to scream to the heavens
with the pain and grief that threatened to rip her heart apart, but for now she
had to repress her grief, so that she could save her remaining family and
people.
Shalila drew out her famous Sword of Chloe, and Dirkan pulled out
his Light Blade (a glowing sword which had won him many a battle), and they both
prepared to leap into the hole in the ship's roof that Bardock had made. The
other members of their party were right behind them, though Etros fretted about
the Saiyans' great power. Gorna told her husband to shut up and stop being a
coward, and Lektron was deeply ashamed of his older brother's cowardice.
But before Shalila and her band could enter, the surviving Saiyans,
led by Bardock, burst from the hole that Bardock had made and landed on the roof
to face the rescuers. By that time, only four Astorians were alive: Tika,
Gracina, Nieca, and Tayla. Bardock was holding Tika by the hair and his left
hand held his sword to Tika's throat. Bardock's companion, Rorin, (the Saiyan
that had squashed Mantros' head), had Nieca by her hair as well. Gracina and
Tayla were nowhere to be seen. There were three other Saiyans behind them, for
the Saiyans had also lost a huge number of their men. Bardock threw Tika to one
of the other Saiyans for safekeeping.
"Release them at once or else!" Dirkan roared at the surviving
Saiyans. He and Bardock began to sword-fight, clashing blades, and skillfully
dodging each other's attacks. Dirkan threw Bardock down to the roof of the
ship, blasted him with his eye lasers, and held his sword to Bardock's throat.
"Order your men to release the hostages!" Dirkan growled at Bardock.
"Or else you die!"
"Release them, you savages!" Shalila ordered the Saiyans as she
began clashing swords with Rorin, after Rorin had turned Nieca over to one of
the three Saiyans. Shalila quickly slashed Rorin's throat with her sword, and
after electrocuting him, Rorin fell off the ship, dead, and he began to float in
space with his mouth gaping open. The third Saiyan, who did not have a hostage,
was blasting Gorna, Etros, Bajal and Lektron with ki attacks, but the four
Astorians were fighting back with Mirror Shield attacks. Gorna and Bajal's
three Astorian siblings, Cletos (the third child and twenty-five years old),
Marya (the tenth child and eighteen years old), and Jaypros (the eighth child
and twenty years old) were now in the ship hunting for survivors to rescue them.
"Let Tika and Nieca go, now!" Dirkan snarled at Bardock, who to
Dirkan's surprise, was smirking. "Do you wish to die young, monkey? Order
their release now!"
Dirkan had made the mistake of calling Bardock "monkey" which is the
worst thing anyone can ever call a Saiyan. Bardock was planning to kill Tika
and Nieca anyway, but now he decided to do so sooner. "Sure I'll release them!"
he crowed at Dirkan. "I'll release them into heaven! Kill the Astorian
Princesses!" he ordered the two men who were holding Tika and Nieca hostage.
"No!" Shalila screamed as she went to attack the captors, but even
she was too late, for the captors blasted Big Bang attacks right into Tika's and
Nieca's hearts, killing them instantly! Shalila's screams mixed with Tika's and
Nieca's, and the two princesses' screams would haunt Shalila for the rest of her
life.
"You bastards!" Dirkan screamed. He decided that Bardock deserved
to die; no one would miss him that badly, so Dirkan tried to cut Bardock's
throat, but Bardock kicked Dirkan hard in the stomach, and freed himself from
the Namek. Bardock escaped and ordered his surviving Saiyans to retreat.
"No way!" one of the Saiyans snapped. "I want to finish this job!"
Bardock punched him in the stomach for his disobedience.
The other two Saiyans quickly learned their lesson and followed Bardock in
retreat. Dirkan and Shalila pursued them and slashed the two Saiyans to death
with their swords and Dirkan's eye lasers. Bardock, however, was too fast for
them, and when he was far enough away from them, stood still in outer space. He
held up his left hand at a 90-degree angle, and Shalila and Dirkan knew what
this meant. This was to be a ki attack with the impact of a nuclear bomb. Bardock was going to blast the
Korin!
"Retreat!" Dirkan ordered the remaining Astorians. "Get out of
there now!"
Gorna and Etros didn't hesitant to flee back to Shalila's private
warship, but Lektron was hesitant because there was still live Astorians down
below in the ship, plus there was Gracina, whom Lektron had a secret crush on.
He had to save them!
Bardock shot the huge ki ball at the Korin.
"Lektron, go now!" Dirkan shouted. Bajal finally cuffed Lektron and
dragged him away. He told Lektron that there was no hope now.
"What about the others?" Shalila cried in horror.
"It's too late for them now! We have to get out of here!"
As Dirkan shouted this out, he and Shalila silently prayed that
maybe, just maybe the victims on board the Korin would survive. But Dirkan
didn't believe it was likely, and when Shalila started to fly in space towards
the ship, Dirkan grabbed her and held her in a tight grip.
"You're not committing suicide! I'm not letting you die!" Dirkan
snapped at the struggling Superior Gran, who was alternating between screaming
at the others to escape and cursing Dirkan in Astorian for holding her back.
But Dirkan tightened his grip; he was not allowing Shalila to die today.
Shalila continued to scream at her family to escape...
Back in the Korin
Gracina was lying below deck on top of her dead father's decapitated
body, just barely alive. She shuddered in horror when she once again saw her
father's headless body. Then she heard a loud, terrified baby's cry.
Tayla! Tayla was still alive!
Gracina struggled to her feet and frantically stumbled around,
looking for her youngest sister. She found Tayla quickly, who had been thrown
into a garbage bin (Bardock had forgotten Frieza's orders to destroy the baby,
so he had tossed Tayla in there). Gracina scooped her baby sister up and
covered the tiny girl's face with kisses. She cradled Tayla close to her breast
while she searched for the escape port where the escape pods were. Gracina was
too weak now to move very fast, but she kept a steady pace through the corridors
while she headed for the escape port with her baby sister.
"Gracina! You're still alive?" It was Cletos, a warrior and
Gracina and Tayla's brother. Marya and Jaypros were behind him. They had
managed to catch up with Gracina.
"Cletos! Marya! Jaypros! Thank the stars! We've got to get out of
here now!"
"Yes, we know!" cried Jaypros, another warrior. "That son of an
ape, Bardock, will kill us all!"
Marya fell to her knees and prayed. She was a priestess, but she
had insisted on coming along to pray for those injured and dead.
The five Mantros Chloe siblings clustered together and Cletos, who
was the strongest of them all at the moment, picked up Gracina in his arms, and
Gracina was still holding Tayla.
"Let's get out of here!" Cletos ordered
Cletos, carrying Gracina on his back (Gracina had cradled Tayla
between her bosom and Cletos' back, was climbing through Bardock's hole out of
the ship, and Marya and Jaypros followed him.)
But then they felt the entire ship shake violently...
The air grew a thousand degrees hotter...
The Clan of Chloe members screamed in terror...
Baby Tayla, calmer then the others, held up her hand...
...And then there was darkness and a giant explosion...
The Korin was gone!
(A/N: If you want more background info on the Astorians and Tayla's origins, read my supplementary story, "Birth of Tayla And Tayla of Astoria Extra Info" which tells more about Astorian life and the universe that the Astorians live in.)
Chapter One: Saiyans Attack!
"Dirkan!" Shalila cried to her closest friend excitedly. "Mantros
is holding Tayla up in front of the camera, so that we can see her! Look at my
new granddaughter! Isn't she beautiful?" She and Dirkan were in Shalila's
private reading and computer room, and they were watching Shalila's relatives on
a large screen. The family was on a spaceship not too far from planet Astoria
and the moon of Chloe.
Dirkan was very quiet. Something was wrong. He knew that things
were going too well lately for the Clan of Chloe. Eighteen months ago,
Shalila's husband, Bajal, her son, Mantros, and her daughter-in-law, Tika, had
taken Mantros' family into outer space to visit the nearby planet of Hysle, in
hopes of convincing Hysle to join forces with Astoria against Frieza. Now the
Mantros Chloe family was coming home. Mantros had left his oldest daughter,
Gorna, also the next in line to rule Astoria after him, behind to help her
grandmother rule Astoria. He had taken ten of his twenty children, and Tayla
had been born on the Korin (which was named after one of Shalila's foster
fathers, the white senzu-bean growing cat on Earth). Now in a week's time,
Shalila was supposed to meet Tayla for the first time, and Shalila was thrilled,
especially after Mantros told her of Tayla's great power and intelligence.
Right now, Shalila and her husband, Bajal, the Superior Granden of Astoria were
happily discussing Tayla's potential to become a healior (a warrior who is also
a healer).
Bajal was also telling Shalila how much he loved her and how much he
was looking forward to seeing her again. Dirkan gave Shalila a small wistful
smile when he heard Bajal's declaration of love; he still loved Shalila and had
loved her throughout the last sixty years of Shalila and Bajal's marriage.
There were times when Dirkan regretted not marrying Shalila himself, but the
Namek knew that he had done the right thing in insisting that she marry Bajal
instead. After all, the Clan of Chloe (and most of Astoria, for that matter)
would have never accepted a marriage between Shalila and Dirkan, not at that
time anyway. Also, being a Namek, Dirkan could only reproduce children by
spitting eggs out of his mouth, and this he was no longer able to do so because
of a virus that had destroyed his reproductive abilities. The Clan of Chloe was
one of the most powerful families in the Rosetta Galaxy, and it was Shalila's
duty to give them an heir to take her place as Astoria's ruler someday. The
Clan of Chloe and the rest of Astoria would only accept a Clan of Chloe member
as their ruler, and that was the main reason that Dirkan had refused to marry
Shalila. He would not hear of Shalila turning the throne of Astoria over to
someone else, so that she could be with him either. Shalila was the strongest
Astorian of all, even stronger than her husband, and Astoria and the Rosetta
Galaxy needed her too badly for her to abandon them to someone else.
Dirkan sighed, but turned his thoughts back to more pressing
matters. What was that strange evil ki that he sensed coming from near the
Korin? No, it couldn't be! No! Not them! Anyone, but them!
Dirkan emitted a sharp cry of terror, and Shalila turned around
abruptly to see what had startled her oldest friend. "Dirkan!" she cried,
horrified. "What is wrong?" She ran to him and embraced him, after discreetly
turning off the screen, so that Bajal could not see her hold Dirkan. Bajal had
long ago accepted Dirkan, but was never entirely comfortable with Dirkan and
Shalila's close relationship.
"Dirkan!" Shalila cried again, "Tell me! What is wrong?" Her face
was white as one of Astoria's seven moons, and it created a sharp contrast
against her molasses-red hair.
Dirkan took several deep breaths before he spoke. "The Saiyans are
here, love!" he cried. "They are going to attack your family's ship!"
"No! It can't be!" Shalila screamed. "No!" She released Dirkan
and ran back to her screen and turned it back on. She turned the microphone up
loud so that the entire family could hear her.
"Bajal! Mantros! Tika! Everyone listen! The Saiyans are coming to
attack you! Flee immediately! Get out of there now!" Shalila cried in terror,
her face still white. She was clenching her fists and breathing heavily.
Dirkan was breathing heavily also, but he managed to regain his composure for
the most part. He took Shalila's arm and quickly led her out of the reading and
computer room. Shalila had started to cry, for it had been seven years since
they had to deal with the Saiyans, and she herself felt that they had become
stronger since their last battle.
Shalila and Dirkan were running through the corridors of the opulent
Palace of Chloe to reach the landing docks that would have speedy ships to get
them into space quickly. Shalila and Dirkan then jumped into the air and flew
quickly to the landing docks where the Palace of Chloe's ships were docked.
Shalila was still breathing heavily, for the full effect of the Saiyans' return
had not completely reached her. She was still in shock, for the last seven
years had been peaceful. Even Frieza and King Cold had not bothered them during
this time.
"Shalila, you must calm down for your family's sake!" Dirkan
commanded. "We must get to a ship immediately to go save them!" He pulled out
a radio from his Astorian fighting uniform and shouted through it, so that all
of the Palace of Chloe inmates could hear them: "Now hear this! The Saiyans
have returned! The Saiyans have returned! All available warriors and healiors
are ordered to go to outer space immediately where the Korin is located. You
will find the ship located on your scouters, but not the Saiyan ships, for they
can block our radars and detectors, so be careful!" Dirkan was also the
commander of Astoria's military forces, as well as Shalila's plenipotentiary on occasion.
By the time, Shalila and Dirkan had reached Shalila's private small
warship, the Palace of Chloe had been thrown in a state of panic. The warriors
and healiors had quickly arrived at the landing docks and were already launching
their small warships into space to fight the Saiyans and save Shalila's family.
The rest of Shalila's family that had remained on Astoria had quickly gathered
together to fight to save their family members and were already leaving for
outer space.
The Korin
Bajal was gathering together the warriors and the healiors that had
been on the ship. The ship consisted mainly of Clan of Chloe members, but there
were a few from other clans as well. The healers and those too young or weak to
fight had already been put on escape ships. Tika was in charge of them, for she
was just a healer and could not fight, but she was a great organizer and
protector (she had to be with twenty children!). Tika was carrying Tayla with
her in a carrying sack on her back and was running around to get her children
and their families safely on the escape pods. Gracina, the twelfth oldest
child, was helping her mother get the non-fighters to the escape pods, as well
as being her mother's bodyguard. Gracina was a healior, only sixteen years old,
but considered to be the wisest (next to her older sister, Marya, a Priestess)
and most capable of Mantros and Tika's children.
Tika thought that it was a pity that Gracina couldn't be Superior
Gran Heiress Apparent instead, but Gracina was not the oldest child. The order
for rulers of Astoria was traditionally "oldest child of oldest child of oldest
child" unless the current rulers of Astoria deemed it otherwise. Mantros would
inherit Astoria's throne after Shalila died, and then it would be Gorna, then
Gorna's son, Rojal, and afterwards Rojal's firstborn child when he married.
Besides, Gracina could always serve as Gorna's advisor, although she and Gorna
didn't always get along well.
Tika was feeding Tayla some milk mixed with saltwater from a bottle
after Gracina insisted that her mother sit and rest for a moment while she
helped the others to escape. Astorians need saltwater to survive, and they
require ten times more salt to live than most other beings. Tika and Gracina
were chewing on salt tablets when suddenly the Korin began to shake violently.
The Saiyans had started to attack!
Gracina shakily tottered over to a window, as some of the Astorians
began screaming in terror at the powerful Saiyan blast that had rocked the ship.
Gracina herself screamed when she saw two Saiyans blast the first three escape
pods that had left the Korin with a fatal Final Flash, a trademark Saiyan move.
"Don't release any more pods!" Gracina ordered the remaining
Astorians. She recognized instantly that the ship was doomed unless her father
and grandfather, the most powerful warriors on the ship, could once again fight
the Saiyans off, like they had done seven years ago. Gracina pulled out her
sword, powered up her ki level, and prepared herself to join her family in
fighting the Saiyans.
Tika was shaking with fear, and baby Tayla began to cry loudly.
Gracina quickly sang an ancient Astorian lullaby, which calmed Tayla down
somewhat. Tika wanted to cry and wail herself, but she was the wife of a
powerful Clan of Chloe warrior, as well as the mother of the future ruler of
Astoria, so she had to be brave. Nieca, the second youngest before Tayla, ran
over to her mother and Tayla. Nieca told Gracina, "I wanna fight too!"
"No, Nieca!" Gracina told her firmly. Nieca was only five, and was
training to be a healer, not a warrior. Her power level was not very high.
"Nieca, stay here with Mother and Tayla."
"But I want to fight too!" Nieca shrieked. Gracina sighed, and once
again she told Nieca no. Tika calmed down enough to settle the matter, and she
put Nieca in her place and said that Nieca could not fight. Nieca, a sulky
child by nature, sat down, crossed her shoulders, and glared at Gracina.
Meanwhile, in the front of the ship, one of the Saiyans, a
Third-Class fighter named Bardock had blasted a hole in the ship's roof. He was
the leader of this particular band of Saiyans, and Frieza had sent them to
destroy this ship.
Frieza had decided to once again resume his feud with the Clan of
Chloe family, especially when he heard of some strong powers coming from some of
the Clan of Chloe children. Frieza had been having nightmares about Shalila
having a descendent even more powerful than her that could eventually destroy
him. He had also learned from one of his spies on planet Hysle about baby
Tayla's birth. The spy had told Frieza about the child's astounding power level
via radio when the Mantros Chloe family had been visiting friends on Hysle.
Tayla had been born on the Korin, just before the family had landed on Hysle.
The spy, one of Frieza's wisest, warned Frieza that this little girl could grow
up one day to destroy him. Frieza was not about to let that happen. He was
already worried enough about the Saiyans, especially when Zarbon, one of his
best men, had warned him that the Saiyans could be a strong threat when they
banded together.
Frieza had been popping more aspirin and antacids lately than his
doctors advised because of the threat of both the Saiyans and the Astorians, the
two most powerful races in the Rosetta Galaxy. Just the thought of a Saiyan or
a Clan of Chloe child (Frieza wasn't as fazed about the lower level Astorians)
being strong enough to destroy him was enough to give Frieza a migraine. At
least the Saiyans and the Astorians had never formed an alliance, for then
Frieza would truly have more cause for worry. If the Saiyans and the Astorians
banded together, they could definitely destroy Frieza and the entire Planet
Trade.
Bardock wasn't one of the best Saiyan fighters, but he was good
enough to wipe out some of Shalila's family, even the baby Tayla. Frieza was
silently hoping back on his mother ship that Bardock and his companions wouldn't
screw up this time, like they did seven years ago, when Frieza had sent the then
teenager Bardock to the moon of Chloe to destroy it. Shalila and Dirkan and the
strongest Clan of Chloe members had too easily had defeated Bardock and his
minions, and drove them off of Chloe. Too many Saiyans and other henchmen had
been destroyed during that battle, including a couple of Frieza's younger
relatives.
At this moment, Bardock had crashed into the Chloe ship, and he was
staring straight into the eyes of Superior Granden Bajal and Mantros. Bajal
glared at him darkly, saying angrily, "Take your fellow monkeys and leave this
ship now, or all you Saiyans will taste my blade!" Bajal pulled out his sword
and held it up to Bardock's throat.
Bardock, who had become much stronger since the last time he and
Bajal had fought, laughed arrogantly. He had enjoyed fighting against Bajal the
last time they had met, even though Bajal had nearly killed him. Bardock had
almost died by Bajal's hands, but when he had managed to escape Chloe, he had
been treated for his wounds and had become mightier than ever. (Saiyans become
stronger every time they are seriously injured and manage to recover from it.)
Although Bardock knew that Bajal was indirectly responsible for his increased
strength, he was angry enough with Bajal to want revenge.
"I'm going to kill you first, Superior Granden, and then your new
granddaughter will be next!" Bardock roared. "This grandbaby isn't going to
become stronger than us Saiyans!"
Gracina had joined her father and grandfather by then, but Bajal and
Bardock didn't notice her presence right away. Bajal (the most conceited of all
the Astorian male fighters) was as arrogant as Bardock himself, and he growled
back at his old enemy, "I dare you to try it! Just remember what I did to you
on Chloe! You're lucky that you escaped!"
At this time, some of Bardock's comrades had already invaded the ship and were blasting the Astorians with huge ki attacks. The Astorians reflected these attacks back at the Saiyans with their trademark move: the Mirror Shield attack. The Saiyans were taking some serious damage, but then so were the Astorians, for it takes much ki to repeatedly use
the Mirror Shield attack.
(The Mirror Shield attack consists of reflecting power attacks back
at the enemy. In other words it causes an opponent's power attack to backfire
against them. For example, if an Astorian is attacked by a Big Bang, the
Astorian can hold out his or her hands and throw the Big Bang back at the
opponent, causing the opponent to be damaged by his own attack.)
Bajal and Bardock both leapt out of the ship onto the ship's roof.
They had powered up and were now fighting with swords (Bardock was also an
excellent swordsman, although sword-fighting was not often taught to Saiyans.)
Both Astorians and Saiyans can survive exposed in space for a long time, and
Bajal and Bardock were especially adept at this. Finally they decided to throw
off their extra-heavy vests and swords and fought in hand-to-hand combat,
kicking and punching fiercely. Bardock shoved his fist into Bajal's throat
while Bajal shoved his fist into Bardock's stomach. The fight so far was evenly
matched, and both men were giving some serious damage as well as taking some.
Below deck, Gracina and her father, Mantros, were fighting the
Saiyans with swords and kicks. Gracina managed to slash several Saiyans, and in
one case, she managed to chop a weaker Saiyan's head off with her saber.
Gracina screamed in horror when she did that; this was her first battle ever and
the first time that she had ever killed anyone. Gracina's face paled, but
Mantros snapped at his daughter sharply, "Get used to it, daughter! You will
have to kill more Saiyans before this is over with!"
If it is ever over with, Gracina thought to herself, but she knew
that her father was right. Mantros had not meant to be so sharp with his
favorite daughter, but he could not afford to have her go into shock and terror
at her first killing, for she was needed too badly as a fighter. Mantros
blasted several Saiyans to death with a few Mirror Shield attacks. Gracina
finally recovered enough to use a Rings of Saturn Scarf attack on a couple of
malicious Saiyans, and she used it to steal their ki and give it to herself.
Her ki increased significantly, as did Mantros' when he used Rings of Saturn
Scarf a few times. Mantros, Gracina, and the other Astorian warriors and
healiors were succeeding so far, just as they did before.
That is until Bardock threw Bajal, the strongest warrior on the
ship, right through the roof of the Korin! Bajal landed right on top of his
son, Mantros, knocking him right in the back of the head and ending Mantros'
latest Rings of Saturn Scarf move. Gracina ran to her father and grandfather
after she slashed a Saiyan's chest open with her sword, and she tried to pull
the heavy, muscular Bajal off of her father. The girl-healior screamed when she
realized that Bajal was not responding to her moving him.
Bajal was dead.
Bardock had killed Bajal by forcing a deadly ki attack right through
the strong warrior's heart, causing it to explode. Gracina saw the large hole
in her grandfather's chest, and cried aloud when she saw the blue blood pouring
out of it (an Astorian's blood is always blue, even when it comes in contact
with the air). Mantros screamed in horror like a banshee when he realized that
his father, the Superior Granden of Astoria, the most powerful male Astorian
warrior, was dead. But Mantros did not scream for long, for Bardock, tired of
playing with the Astorians, quickly and neatly sliced off Mantros' head with his
sword before Gracina could stop him.
"You son of an ape!" she screamed in horror as she watched her
father's bloody head roll away her father's body and near another Saiyan's foot
where the Saiyan squashed it under his steel boot like it was a melon. Gracina
screamed louder than before and became paralyzed with fear. Bardock's
companion, Yugash, grabbed Gracina by her gold hair and slapped her across the
face to make her shut up. He picked her up by her hair and kissed her hard.
"How'd you like to become a Saiyan's wife?" Yugash asked
triumphantly. "I need a strong spirited girl like you to give me a powerful
son!"
"Go to Hades!" Gracina shrieked and spat in Yugash's face. Yugash
laughed, not bothered at least by Gracina's spitting on him. Gracina struggled
against him, but Yugash was holding her in his arms by then, and his grip was
too strong for Gracina to use any of the trademark Astorian moves.
Except for Electric Touch.
Gracina electrocuted Yugash when she gripped his waist. Yugash
yelled in pain and finally released his captive. Gracina grabbed her sword
again and aimed it for Yugash's neck. Yugash kicked her in the stomach for
refusing him, and Bardock's companion, the Saiyan that had squashed Mantros'
head, hit her hard in the back of the head, rendering Gracina unconscious and
therefore helpless. The tall, slender girl fell down next to her dead
grandfather in a dead heap.
Elsewhere on the Korin, the other Astorians, sensing and realizing
that their three strongest fighters were out of the race, began to lose heart,
and therefore the battle against the Saiyans. The Astorians were weakening
faster than before, for now more Saiyans had invaded the ship and now greatly
outnumbered the Astorians. Three Saiyans were blocking the way to the escape
pods, and so no more Astorians could flee. Most of the non-fighting Astorians
were now dead.
Tika was hiding in a pantry and fully concealing her ki. She had
encased herself, Nieca, and baby Tayla in a small Shield Field to protect them,
since Nieca and Tayla had not yet learned to conceal their ki levels. Tika was
very weary, for she had just barely escaped from a rapacious Saiyan, which she
had just managed to stab in the chest with her tiny dagger. Tika had been
fortunate then, for she had not been strong, but neither had been the Saiyan
(the weakest warrior of the band). Tika was sobbing quietly, for she had felt
her husband die, and the grief threatened to rip her heart apart. Nieca was
crying too, and baby Tayla was sniffling, preparing to wail. Tika recovered
only long enough to try to quiet her daughters down, so that the Saiyans would
not hear them. Tika ripped open her bodice and pushed her breast into Tayla's
mouth to feed and distract her. Tayla quickly accepted her mother's breast, and
Tika then gave Nieca a chocolate sugarplum for the child to chew on. Tika
prayed that Shalila, Dirkan and the other Astorian fighters would save them
soon...
Outer Space
...But Shalila, Dirkan, and the others were not faring much better.
Two more Saiyan ships had now arrived to destroy Shalila Chloe's family, and the
Clan of Chloe, along with several other clans, were now occupied with fending
those Saiyans off, and only a small band of Astorians that were on Shalila's
private warship were available to go to the Korin to save the surviving
Astorians aboard. In this small band were Shalila, Dirkan, and Gorna, thirty
years old, along with Bajal (Gorna's twenty-seven-year-old brother), Etros
(Gorna's husband), Lektron (Etros' brother), and several more of Gorna and
Bajal's siblings. More Astorian clans were coming to help, for the news had
been broadcast on the radios throughout the planet.
Finally, after an hour of wading through Saiyans and killing them
with Mirror Shields and Rings of Saturn Scarves (thankfully none of the Astorian
moons were full that day, or some of the Saiyans would have been Oozarus [giant
monkeys] by then), they managed to reach the Korin. Shalila felt very few
Astorian ki levels, and this caused her to cry out in dismay because that meant
that very few Astorians on that ship were now alive. Dirkan, sensing Shalila's
worst fears, tried to reassure her that they could still save the others. But
this was not much comforting to Shalila, who, deep down in her heart, knew that
her beloved husband and son were dead. Shalila wanted to scream to the heavens
with the pain and grief that threatened to rip her heart apart, but for now she
had to repress her grief, so that she could save her remaining family and
people.
Shalila drew out her famous Sword of Chloe, and Dirkan pulled out
his Light Blade (a glowing sword which had won him many a battle), and they both
prepared to leap into the hole in the ship's roof that Bardock had made. The
other members of their party were right behind them, though Etros fretted about
the Saiyans' great power. Gorna told her husband to shut up and stop being a
coward, and Lektron was deeply ashamed of his older brother's cowardice.
But before Shalila and her band could enter, the surviving Saiyans,
led by Bardock, burst from the hole that Bardock had made and landed on the roof
to face the rescuers. By that time, only four Astorians were alive: Tika,
Gracina, Nieca, and Tayla. Bardock was holding Tika by the hair and his left
hand held his sword to Tika's throat. Bardock's companion, Rorin, (the Saiyan
that had squashed Mantros' head), had Nieca by her hair as well. Gracina and
Tayla were nowhere to be seen. There were three other Saiyans behind them, for
the Saiyans had also lost a huge number of their men. Bardock threw Tika to one
of the other Saiyans for safekeeping.
"Release them at once or else!" Dirkan roared at the surviving
Saiyans. He and Bardock began to sword-fight, clashing blades, and skillfully
dodging each other's attacks. Dirkan threw Bardock down to the roof of the
ship, blasted him with his eye lasers, and held his sword to Bardock's throat.
"Order your men to release the hostages!" Dirkan growled at Bardock.
"Or else you die!"
"Release them, you savages!" Shalila ordered the Saiyans as she
began clashing swords with Rorin, after Rorin had turned Nieca over to one of
the three Saiyans. Shalila quickly slashed Rorin's throat with her sword, and
after electrocuting him, Rorin fell off the ship, dead, and he began to float in
space with his mouth gaping open. The third Saiyan, who did not have a hostage,
was blasting Gorna, Etros, Bajal and Lektron with ki attacks, but the four
Astorians were fighting back with Mirror Shield attacks. Gorna and Bajal's
three Astorian siblings, Cletos (the third child and twenty-five years old),
Marya (the tenth child and eighteen years old), and Jaypros (the eighth child
and twenty years old) were now in the ship hunting for survivors to rescue them.
"Let Tika and Nieca go, now!" Dirkan snarled at Bardock, who to
Dirkan's surprise, was smirking. "Do you wish to die young, monkey? Order
their release now!"
Dirkan had made the mistake of calling Bardock "monkey" which is the
worst thing anyone can ever call a Saiyan. Bardock was planning to kill Tika
and Nieca anyway, but now he decided to do so sooner. "Sure I'll release them!"
he crowed at Dirkan. "I'll release them into heaven! Kill the Astorian
Princesses!" he ordered the two men who were holding Tika and Nieca hostage.
"No!" Shalila screamed as she went to attack the captors, but even
she was too late, for the captors blasted Big Bang attacks right into Tika's and
Nieca's hearts, killing them instantly! Shalila's screams mixed with Tika's and
Nieca's, and the two princesses' screams would haunt Shalila for the rest of her
life.
"You bastards!" Dirkan screamed. He decided that Bardock deserved
to die; no one would miss him that badly, so Dirkan tried to cut Bardock's
throat, but Bardock kicked Dirkan hard in the stomach, and freed himself from
the Namek. Bardock escaped and ordered his surviving Saiyans to retreat.
"No way!" one of the Saiyans snapped. "I want to finish this job!"
Bardock punched him in the stomach for his disobedience.
The other two Saiyans quickly learned their lesson and followed Bardock in
retreat. Dirkan and Shalila pursued them and slashed the two Saiyans to death
with their swords and Dirkan's eye lasers. Bardock, however, was too fast for
them, and when he was far enough away from them, stood still in outer space. He
held up his left hand at a 90-degree angle, and Shalila and Dirkan knew what
this meant. This was to be a ki attack with the impact of a nuclear bomb. Bardock was going to blast the
Korin!
"Retreat!" Dirkan ordered the remaining Astorians. "Get out of
there now!"
Gorna and Etros didn't hesitant to flee back to Shalila's private
warship, but Lektron was hesitant because there was still live Astorians down
below in the ship, plus there was Gracina, whom Lektron had a secret crush on.
He had to save them!
Bardock shot the huge ki ball at the Korin.
"Lektron, go now!" Dirkan shouted. Bajal finally cuffed Lektron and
dragged him away. He told Lektron that there was no hope now.
"What about the others?" Shalila cried in horror.
"It's too late for them now! We have to get out of here!"
As Dirkan shouted this out, he and Shalila silently prayed that
maybe, just maybe the victims on board the Korin would survive. But Dirkan
didn't believe it was likely, and when Shalila started to fly in space towards
the ship, Dirkan grabbed her and held her in a tight grip.
"You're not committing suicide! I'm not letting you die!" Dirkan
snapped at the struggling Superior Gran, who was alternating between screaming
at the others to escape and cursing Dirkan in Astorian for holding her back.
But Dirkan tightened his grip; he was not allowing Shalila to die today.
Shalila continued to scream at her family to escape...
Back in the Korin
Gracina was lying below deck on top of her dead father's decapitated
body, just barely alive. She shuddered in horror when she once again saw her
father's headless body. Then she heard a loud, terrified baby's cry.
Tayla! Tayla was still alive!
Gracina struggled to her feet and frantically stumbled around,
looking for her youngest sister. She found Tayla quickly, who had been thrown
into a garbage bin (Bardock had forgotten Frieza's orders to destroy the baby,
so he had tossed Tayla in there). Gracina scooped her baby sister up and
covered the tiny girl's face with kisses. She cradled Tayla close to her breast
while she searched for the escape port where the escape pods were. Gracina was
too weak now to move very fast, but she kept a steady pace through the corridors
while she headed for the escape port with her baby sister.
"Gracina! You're still alive?" It was Cletos, a warrior and
Gracina and Tayla's brother. Marya and Jaypros were behind him. They had
managed to catch up with Gracina.
"Cletos! Marya! Jaypros! Thank the stars! We've got to get out of
here now!"
"Yes, we know!" cried Jaypros, another warrior. "That son of an
ape, Bardock, will kill us all!"
Marya fell to her knees and prayed. She was a priestess, but she
had insisted on coming along to pray for those injured and dead.
The five Mantros Chloe siblings clustered together and Cletos, who
was the strongest of them all at the moment, picked up Gracina in his arms, and
Gracina was still holding Tayla.
"Let's get out of here!" Cletos ordered
Cletos, carrying Gracina on his back (Gracina had cradled Tayla
between her bosom and Cletos' back, was climbing through Bardock's hole out of
the ship, and Marya and Jaypros followed him.)
But then they felt the entire ship shake violently...
The air grew a thousand degrees hotter...
The Clan of Chloe members screamed in terror...
Baby Tayla, calmer then the others, held up her hand...
...And then there was darkness and a giant explosion...
The Korin was gone!
(A/N: If you want more background info on the Astorians and Tayla's origins, read my supplementary story, "Birth of Tayla And Tayla of Astoria Extra Info" which tells more about Astorian life and the universe that the Astorians live in.)
