Chapter Fifty-Six: Frieza's Top Elite Enters Magan
"About time," Jaden muttered, as she and her team finally arrived in the city of Magan. The CRP cruiser landed gracefully on the parking lot of a landing strip near the city main market. She, Pork, Balboun and Daukin were the only ones awake, and she ordered Pork to awaken the other members of their team.
The others were slowly awakening from their sleep when Pork looked out a window and noticed five familiar figures landing in Magan across the street from the CRP cruiser.
"Commander Jaden!" he squeaked. "Come here quick! The Ginyu Force has arrived!"
"Already?" Jaden exclaimed, joining Pork at the back window of the cruiser. "How could those dancing puppets have arrived here at the same time as us?"
"Didn't you tell us before that they are among the fastest flyers in the Elite, Commander?" Pork asked her.
Jaden cursed softly in her native Rybanese, a language she rarely spoke anymore because Frieza had insisted on his fighters speaking Standard language only. "Great, competition, just what we need," she grumbled. "Pork, keep an eye on them until I say it's time for us to go."
"Yes, Commander." Pork continued to watch the Ginyu Force members, who of course were practicing their new pre-battle poses before attacking. Jaden shook her alligator-like head in disgust, as she walked away to speak to Chestra and Zarbon.
Caline and Petalia were awake now, and now they were more fearful than ever. What was going to happen to them and to their races? The girls trembled, trying to remain brave like the princesses they both were.
"Just think, Caline," Petalia whispered as steadily as possible, "if we live through this, you won't have that awful Alberm to worry about anymore. You can marry again when you're older."
Caline shook her head, whispering back, "I don't ever want to get married again. Not after Alberm. I know that not all men are evil like him, but just the thought of almost any man touching me as a husband touching a wife scares me more than Jaden and Zarbon do. The only man I can say that I honestly like and trust is Prince Lektron, but it is as a father figure that I like him." She looked at Petalia with large, wistful blue eyes and whispered softer than usual, even for her, "I wish he and Princess Gracina were my parents. I wish I could go home with them, with all of you. I wish I could live on Astoria with all of you and just be single and happy. I don't need nor want a husband, ever. Just being safe with people who are my friends would be good enough for me." A tear slipped down the Calmagian princess's pale cheek.
Petalia whispered shakily to her, "You know what, Caline, I don't think that I ever want to get married myself." They both were in a desperate situation, and they decided that talking about marriage would keep their minds off of things.
"Why?" Caline asked her honestly. "You are beautiful and a virgin, and you will have many suitors later on, I am sure. And Astorian men seem to treat their women with kindness and respect."
"They do," Petalia admitted, "but I don't want to be unhappy, like my mother and father were."
"What happened with them?" Caline asked softly.
Petalia confessed shamefacedly, "My mother abandoned us four years ago." She was having a hard time restraining her tears, and a few escaped her pale blue eyes before she could stop them. "She-she ran away from our planet with my Uncle Jaypros. We haven't seen nor heard from them since they left. My mother just abandoned us, leaving us, just like that, as if we were nothing to her. I think that Pappa blames Dedron and I for her leaving, for he barely cares whether we live or die. Dedron is so awful to everyone these days, and we could be pieces of furniture as well as Pappa is concerned. He doesn't love us anymore, and it's all Farla's fault!" Her whispering rose to a high hiss.
"Farla?" Caline asked, puzzled.
"Princess Farla Chloe was my mother. And she decided that she would rather be with our Uncle Jaypros than with us! She is nothing but a slut and an adulteress! She wasn't even divorced from my father when she ran away with Uncle Jaypros! And I hate him too, for stealing our mother away! No wonder Dedron is so nasty; he's as angry as I am! It hurts that she didn't love us enough to stay; what was so wrong with us that she would leave us like she did?" Petalia suddenly burst into full tears. "What did we do to deserve this? Pappa hates Dedron and I, and Dedron is so angry, and I am so sad! She's hurt us and disgraced our family name! Dedron's nearly killed several servants for snickering about our mother and our uncle running away. Pappa practically ignores us; I don't think he loves us anymore. I'll bet he's glad I'm gone; I'll be one less person he has to worry about."
Caline was crying now as well, hurting for Petalia. "I am sorry; I wish I could help make you feel better."
Petalia said sadly, "Thanks, but nothing will help except changing the past."
"It's not your fault that your mother abandoned you," Caline told her tearfully. "Nor is it my fault that my father and husband have abused me. I used to think that I deserved whatever they did to me because I was inferior and a female, but I know now that's not true. You didn't deserve what happened with your parents, and it's not your fault. I wish there was some way that we both could be happy. At least your father doesn't abuse you or mistreat you the way mine used to and still does. If we live, I will have to back and live with him, or marry that awful Filcor Sedemeyer. I don't want to get married again, ever, and if I have to, I will run away, and this time, not even Father will be able to find me. I'd like to go home with your people, but I don't believe that will be allowed to happen."
"Maybe it can," Petalia told her slowly. "Don't give up hope, Caline; we all would like you to come live with us. Surely Great-Nama and Commander Dirkan can do something; no one dares defy them."
Jaden left Chestra and Zarbon briefly to visit the girls, for her Rybanese hearing had picked up the entire conversation. She placed herself in front of the tied-up girls and looked intensely at Petalia, asking sternly, "Did you say that your mother's name was Farla Chloe?"
Petalia nodded and asked shakily, "How did you know?"
Jaden was silent then, her usual dour face was grimmer, even for her, whose face was not accustomed to smiling or looking cheerful. Great, she thought, not only did those idiots Alberm and Reccor snatch the wrong Astorian princess, but one who happens to be the daughter of Balair's new whore. She looks just her mother, only much younger. It is a good thing she wound up in our clutches instead of Balair's; she wouldn't have survived him, and Balair would have been thrilled to have both a beautiful mother and daughter as his new concubines.
Chestra, who was now standing behind her, whispered urgently, "Jaden, come here, please. We need to talk about these girls." Zarbon was with Crystalis and Pork, giving them orders.
Jaden grunted a reply, and she and Chestra left Caline and Petalia; Jaden didn't even bother to answer Petalia's question. Under normal circumstances, Petalia would have thought that Jaden was rude and uncouth, but in this case, she was just thankful that Jaden had not killed anyone (that she knew of) but Alberm so far. She prayed silently that Jaden and her comrades would spare their captives, but it seemed to be unlikely.
Chestra and Jaden walked towards the cockpit, away from the girls, and Chestra asked, running a hand through her ruby-and-emerald-hair, "Jaden, what's to become of these girls? And of the CRP officers?"
Jaden sighed, looking back at the two little blond princesses. "Chestra, you know in most circumstances, we would have to kill any captives we had unless we thought that they could be useful to Frieza. The only thing those two girls would qualify for would be the Ginyu Girls."
Chestra snapped, "Balair would just love that! Especially if he finds out that Princess Petalia is the daughter of Princess Farla Chloe! My Kami, Jaden, she's Princess Kaydra's older sister! Kaydra has a sister!"
"And a brother, some punk named Dedron; I heard that much," Jaden told her evenly.
"Does she know about Kaydra?" Chestra asked anxiously, not wanting to lose her adopted daughter whom she had already come to love.
"I don't think so," Jaden told her. "Calm yourself, Chestra; you're not going to lose your new adoptee anytime soon. Getting back to business, if we are going to kill the captives, we probably should do so now; Baboon and his pilot are no longer any use to us. The girls, well, oh curses, why can't I bring myself to say, 'execute them'?"
"You realized that you still have the remains of a heart," Chestra told her gently. "It is not necessarily a fatal fault to be kind once in a while."
"It is, if you work for Frieza," Jaden told her dryly.
"But what harm could it really do to free the girls, and maybe even the officers? The Astorians already know we are going to attack them anyway."
"Chestra," Jaden told her grimly, "even if we don't kill them, someone else will. Either way, they are going to die. It would more merciful for us to kill them now, instead of having them run into the Saiyans, or Balair and his bunch."
"Commander Jaden!" Crystalis shrieked, as she looked out the same window that Pork had been looking out at earlier.
"What is it?" Jaden asked her, a bit impatiently, for she was now deep in thought.
"Balair, Dodoria, Bhodie, and Diamonique have arrived! And Diamonique has already started spreading the Saibamen seeds! Oh, what ugly little monsters they are! Look at them!"
Jaden and Chestra both sighed. "They waste no time, do they?" She turned back to Chestra. "And you want to release the captives into that mess?"
"Let it be their choice, Jaden," Chestra said firmly. "You said either way they are going to die anyway; let them make a run for it."
Jaden grumbled, "They could meet a worse fate than with us, Chestra. I say we should go on and kill them now."
Zarbon added, joining his mate and her friend, "I have to agree with Jaden, Chestra; Lord Frieza did insist that we clear the planet of all life, and with Alberm dead now, there is no point in sparing any Calmagians, unless we find some strong enough to work for Lord Frieza."
"He's right, Chestra," Jaden told her firmly.
"No, you two," Chestra said just as firmly. "Why don't we just release them? The problem should take care of itself; we have nothing to lose really by freeing them. If they are meant to die, then they will soon enough."
Jaden abruptly turned away from Chestra and Zarbon, and she stalked over to Petalia and Chestra. She gave them a cold, deadly look that could kill Frieza himself and said, "Do you have any last words?"
The girls began to tremble and shake, and tears streamed down both their cheeks, as Jaden reached down towards them, supposedly to finish their demise.
But to their surprise, Jaden tore the ropes that were binding them and dragged both princesses to their feet. She stuck her forbidding face into their frightened ones, carefully keeping her fearsome look.
"Listen to me very carefully," she told them severely, "I cannot guarantee that you two will live, but I am freeing you two. What happens to you after that is no concern of mine here, or anyone else's. Someone else will probably find you and destroy you, but at least you will have a chance to run for it or fight. If you are lucky, your families will find you before then; if not, you will be better off dead than as prisoners under Lord Frieza."
Caline said timidly, "Can the CRP officers come with us?"
Jaden looked at Zarbon, but Zarbon answered wryly, "This is your affair, Jaden."
Jaden barked at Crystalis and Pork, "Crystalis, Pork, I want you two to lead these girls out of here, and the CRP officers as well." She turned to Caline and said coldly, "You two and those fools are on your own from here on out. Do not expect help from us, if you are caught, understand?"
Caline and Petalia nodded eagerly. "We thank you very much, Miss Jaden-" Caline began.
"Commander Jaden," Jaden corrected her.
"Thank you, Commander Jaden!" Petalia gasped breathlessly.
"Yeah, yeah, don't thank me yet," Jaden told her stiffly. "Just don't do anything stupid, got it?" She thrust the girls onto their feet and shoved them towards Crystalis and Pork, who escorted them, and the CRP officers. Caline cried out to Jaden, "Oh thank you, very, very much, Commander Jaden! We shall be forever grateful for your mercy, truly, we will-"
"Enough," Zarbon told her icily. "Keep quiet until you are gone. You are no longer our concern."
None of the captives said another word, as Crystalis and Pork led them towards the door and guided them outside. They began to run away, and once they were a safe distance from the cruiser, Petalia grabbed Caline by her waist after the CRP officers told her they were going to stay down and fight.
"I still have a job to do," Lieutenant Balboun told them. "Since you can fly, Princess Petalia, would you please take Princess Caline with you back to your family?"
Petalia nodded, and Balboun barked to Daukin, who was a fighter as well as a pilot, "Come, Daukin, we have much work to do! We must fight for Calmag; the war is far from over!"
"Gooden luken!" Petalia told the officers, as she flew into the air with Caline in her arms.
"Farewell! Be brave, be careful!" Caline called to them, as she and Petalia went higher and higher into the Magan air.
Balair and Dodoria were so excited that they couldn't decide where to begin. Balair turned to Bhodie, who was just recuperating from his wounds. The survivors in the hospice had been excellent nurses, and in a few hours time, Bhodie was once again able to stand on his feet and move about, although much slower than before. Balair had even agreed to spare the three nurses, providing that he be allowed to caress and kiss the lone female one. He had his fun with her, but he did not rape her, for he had no time left to do so. "Bhodie, do you remember how to tell an Astorian from a Calmagian?"
"Yes, sir," Bhodie said eagerly, trying to ignore the dull pain in his chest.
"What do you remember? I know that you have never seen an Astorian before. We also call them 'Astories' or 'rabbits'," Balair told him firmly, as he watched the green Saibamen terrorize the citizens by jumping onto them and self-destructing on them.
"I have heard of them being called 'Astories', but why are they called rabbits?" Bhodie wanted to know.
Dodoria chuckled, as several men jumped off the roof of a three-floor bakery to escape the Saibamen. The men did not hit the ground because Diamonique shot them with lasers, turning them into diamond statues. She clawed many of the fleeing Calmagians with her fatal nails, poisoning them. "Astorians are called rabbits because they breed like them; many Astorian families can have up to as many as thirty or forty children. The typical Astorian woman has a baby almost every year!"
Balair laughed. "That's Astories for you; they just don't know when to say when! I can't imagine having that many brats, especially if most of them are born girls! Astories are also called that because they can huddle and flee like rabbits as well! Anyway, Bhode, just to remind you, Astorians can fly, and Calmagians can't. Astorians bleed blue blood, and Calmagians bleed yellow blood. And Astorians can electrocute people, so be on your guard. Show no mercy with them, for they won't with you." Balair winked at Dodoria and Bhodie. "Got to go now, men!" And with that, he shot off into the air like a rocket, on his way to cause more havoc.
Dodoria and Bhodie grinned. "Well, Bhode," Dodoria told the Human, "it's time to begin our dirty work." And with that, Dodoria shot out a mouth laser that would have blasted away an entire street of houses, except for one thing…
"MIRROR SHIELD!" And with that, Dodoria's mouth blast backfired right back onto him, scorching his tough pink skin. Dodoria yelled loudly in pain, as his own blast nearly consumed him. In a few seconds, he was sitting on his bottom in shock, scorched and somewhat weakened.
Bhodie gasped in horror, and Dodoria cried out at his attacker, "Who are you?"
The attacker, a tall man with clear blue eyes and golden-brown hair, lean, muscular build, stepped forward boldly out of the smoke that his Mirror Shield attack had created.
"You may not know me, Dodoria, but unfortunately, I remember you very well-from almost twenty years ago. You were one of the few people that I was hoping never to see again."
Dodoria trembled slightly, for he recognized the calm, even voice, steady and smooth as a lake in summer, yet hiding its owner's true, deep power, normally dormant, but now deadly as an exploding star. The voice was the velvet covering the steel, the steel being the normally gentle man that this warrior was.
Dodoria trembled for a moment, finally remembering whom this stranger who so boldly and effectively attacked him was….
Dodoria had been a young man, determined to do his mentor, Sagash, proud. A young Astorian prince with brown hair mixed with gold and eyes the color of Astoria's skies had ruthlessly and flawed attacked him and Sagash by electrocuting both of them with Electric Quake after he had thrown them onto the ground. He had shouted curses of anger, this normally gentle Astorian prince, a prince who had warned him and Sagash in advance to leave…
"I warned you, Dodoria, as well as that red ape you call Sagash! I gave you two a chance to flee and live, but now you both have blown it, and now I shall destroy the two of you, so you may never harm others again! I will NEVER forgive you for what you beasts have done to my people and my home!"….
Dodoria shook in fear, remembering how this stranger nearly killed him, so ruthlessly, so skillfully. He tried to hide his fear of this man, but he couldn't shake the memory of the day when he had fought…
"You-you-are-" he cried aloud.
"Yes," the Astorian male said calmly, "You haven't forgotten my face, though it seems you have forgotten my name. You will remember it in hell, so I shall tell you my name before you perish: Prince Raakon Chloe!"
Dodoria trembled harder, and Bhodie had never seen the Top Elite fighter so shaken.
"And now, Dodoria, seeing as you have not changed your evil ways, I will have to end your life, as much as I hate to do so." And with that, Raakon lunged at Dodoria. Dodoria scrambled to his feet to confront him; no matter how much Raakon unnerved him, Dodoria could not run away now.
"This one is for you, Sagash," Dodoria whispered shakily, as he prepared to defend himself against Raakon.
"Hey, you spiky puffball, remember us?" a gruff voice belonging to a large, muscular, broad man with a dark mustache and beard shouted at Dodoria.
"We sure didn't forget him, unfortunately!" another Astorian male warrior crowed. He had a golden-brown mustache and beard, and his height and build were similar to Raakon's, although his personality was more like the second man's.
"I'll be looking forward to squashing this pink bug!" the large man boasted to his friend. "What do you think, Lektron?"
"Hey, Bajal, I'm with you! Let's smash him, though it's going to be a nasty pink mess to clean up!"
"Get him, Raakon!" Bajal shouted, as Raakon and Dodoria exchanged kicks and punches, with Raakon slamming his fist hard into Dodoria's paunchy stomach. He turned to Lektron. "Hey Lek, you want to take care of that scrawny humanoid man; looks like he works for Frieza, no Calmagian there!"
"I can handle him!" Lektron boasted, as he prepared to finish Bhodie off.
Bhodie stood up, and he fired a strong ki blast at Lektron, but Lektron laughed, easily deflecting it with his hand. Bhodie panicked a bit then, for he had no really special attacks like his comrades did. The ki blasts he knew, the ones that Balair had taught him, were powerful, but obviously not powerful enough to take down an Astorian. Bhodie shot another ki blast at Lektron, but Lektron used Mirror Shield, and then a quick Rings of Saturn Scarf on him, quickly draining the Human's energy.
"Hey, this guy is easy!" Lektron boasted, as he continued to use his energy scarf to drain Bhodie's energy. He laughed at Bhodie's agony, as he also watched Bajal and Raakon fight Dodoria with their swords. Raakon had slashed a deep gash in Dodoria's side, cutting through the armor, and both him and Bajal were electrocuting him. Dodoria screamed in agony, horrified that two supposedly weaker creatures were defeating him so easily. Raakon took a moment to wrap Dodoria in a Rings of Saturn Scarf, and he began to drain the fat, pink warrior of his energy.
"Way to go, men!" Bajal roared happily. "Down with Frieza, up with Astoria!" He punched Dodoria hard in the back of his spiky head below the spikes. "And down with those who serve him as well!"
Raakon was amazed that Dodoria was so easy to attack, even after all these years. Dodoria hardly had a chance to throw a punch. He, Bajal, and Lektron were pleased; Frieza's minions were stronger now, but so were they.
"Hey, we'll probably have Frieza's minions wiped out in one day!" Lektron cheered happily. "This battle is going to be easier than we thought!"
"I'm almost disappointed myself," Bajal declared. "I thought these pigs and apes would be more of a challenge!"
"Oh, you won't be too disappointed," cooed a silky, icy-sweet voice.
Lektron turned around, as he continued to drain Bhodie's energy. His jaw dropped, and so did the jaws of Bajal and Raakon, for there stood Diamonique, whom none of the three men had seen before. They were amazed by her beauty, and would have stared at her more had they not been faithful, married men.
"Who are you?" Lektron asked her in amazement, trying not to stare at her too much. Good thing Gracina wasn't around at the moment.
Diamonique smiled sweetly. "You may call me Diamonique, handsome."
"What are you? Are you on our side?" Bajal inquired, as he held Dodoria's neck in a viselike grip.
Diamonique smiled wider, as she continued, "I am of the Gemstarian race, an elite-class Gemstarian of the Diamondian Tribe."
This puzzled Bajal and Lektron, for in all their years of fighting, they had never heard of Gemstarians, but Raakon knew because he had read up on them-and he had heard of the deadly beauty, Diamonique. "You two, be careful!" he cried aloud. "She is dangerous! The Gemstarians all serve Frieza, and so does she!"
"How right you are!" Diamonique purred, as he raised her slender hand in an open palm at a 45-degree angle. A bluish-white blast shot from her hand and hit Raakon in his back hard. Raakon screamed in horror, as his body quickly solidified into a diamond form, starting from his back in both directions up and down. In a few seconds, a perfect statue of Raakon stood lifeless and still, made of diamond. The Rings of Saturn Scarf attack that Raakon had held on Dodoria vanished, and Dodoria quickly regained his energy.
"RAAKON!" Bajal and Lektron screamed in horror. Bajal, not thinking, released Dodoria and fell down to his wide, muscled knees. Bajal had not cried since he was five years old (at least not in public), but now the tears began to cascade slowly down his chiseled, manly face. He pushed past Dodoria and threw himself at the diamond statue that was now Raakon. In horror, he threw his meaty arms around his diamond brother. Raakon was forever frozen in time, his mouth stopped in a horrified scream, a last scream.
"Raakon!" he cried with a sob. "No! Not my brother! Not another sibling!"
Lektron's body trembled, as he barely held onto Bhodie. "Raakon!" Tears began to form in his eyes before he could prevent it. In a few minutes, he successfully drained all of Bhodie's energy, and the scarf faded. After wards, he pulled Bhodie towards him by his collar and punched the weakened Human hard in his face. Throwing Bhodie to the ground hard (Bhodie was now unconscious), Lektron whirled on Diamonique. "You murderer! You tramp! I don't care if you are a woman; you will pay for what you did to my friend!"
"Of course I will pay," Diamonique laughed merrily, "with diamonds." And she raised her hand again, and in two minutes Lektron himself was a diamond statue.
"LEKTRON!" Bajal cried in horror, but his cry of horror would stay frozen, for Diamonique quickly turned him into a diamond statue as well.
Dodoria laughed evilly, "Way to go, Diamonique! I'm amazed!"
Diamonique smiled. "Thank you! I love my masterpieces. What should I do with them?"
"Leave them as a warning to all Astorians!" Dodoria declared, as Bhodie weakly struggled to his feet.
"About time," Jaden muttered, as she and her team finally arrived in the city of Magan. The CRP cruiser landed gracefully on the parking lot of a landing strip near the city main market. She, Pork, Balboun and Daukin were the only ones awake, and she ordered Pork to awaken the other members of their team.
The others were slowly awakening from their sleep when Pork looked out a window and noticed five familiar figures landing in Magan across the street from the CRP cruiser.
"Commander Jaden!" he squeaked. "Come here quick! The Ginyu Force has arrived!"
"Already?" Jaden exclaimed, joining Pork at the back window of the cruiser. "How could those dancing puppets have arrived here at the same time as us?"
"Didn't you tell us before that they are among the fastest flyers in the Elite, Commander?" Pork asked her.
Jaden cursed softly in her native Rybanese, a language she rarely spoke anymore because Frieza had insisted on his fighters speaking Standard language only. "Great, competition, just what we need," she grumbled. "Pork, keep an eye on them until I say it's time for us to go."
"Yes, Commander." Pork continued to watch the Ginyu Force members, who of course were practicing their new pre-battle poses before attacking. Jaden shook her alligator-like head in disgust, as she walked away to speak to Chestra and Zarbon.
Caline and Petalia were awake now, and now they were more fearful than ever. What was going to happen to them and to their races? The girls trembled, trying to remain brave like the princesses they both were.
"Just think, Caline," Petalia whispered as steadily as possible, "if we live through this, you won't have that awful Alberm to worry about anymore. You can marry again when you're older."
Caline shook her head, whispering back, "I don't ever want to get married again. Not after Alberm. I know that not all men are evil like him, but just the thought of almost any man touching me as a husband touching a wife scares me more than Jaden and Zarbon do. The only man I can say that I honestly like and trust is Prince Lektron, but it is as a father figure that I like him." She looked at Petalia with large, wistful blue eyes and whispered softer than usual, even for her, "I wish he and Princess Gracina were my parents. I wish I could go home with them, with all of you. I wish I could live on Astoria with all of you and just be single and happy. I don't need nor want a husband, ever. Just being safe with people who are my friends would be good enough for me." A tear slipped down the Calmagian princess's pale cheek.
Petalia whispered shakily to her, "You know what, Caline, I don't think that I ever want to get married myself." They both were in a desperate situation, and they decided that talking about marriage would keep their minds off of things.
"Why?" Caline asked her honestly. "You are beautiful and a virgin, and you will have many suitors later on, I am sure. And Astorian men seem to treat their women with kindness and respect."
"They do," Petalia admitted, "but I don't want to be unhappy, like my mother and father were."
"What happened with them?" Caline asked softly.
Petalia confessed shamefacedly, "My mother abandoned us four years ago." She was having a hard time restraining her tears, and a few escaped her pale blue eyes before she could stop them. "She-she ran away from our planet with my Uncle Jaypros. We haven't seen nor heard from them since they left. My mother just abandoned us, leaving us, just like that, as if we were nothing to her. I think that Pappa blames Dedron and I for her leaving, for he barely cares whether we live or die. Dedron is so awful to everyone these days, and we could be pieces of furniture as well as Pappa is concerned. He doesn't love us anymore, and it's all Farla's fault!" Her whispering rose to a high hiss.
"Farla?" Caline asked, puzzled.
"Princess Farla Chloe was my mother. And she decided that she would rather be with our Uncle Jaypros than with us! She is nothing but a slut and an adulteress! She wasn't even divorced from my father when she ran away with Uncle Jaypros! And I hate him too, for stealing our mother away! No wonder Dedron is so nasty; he's as angry as I am! It hurts that she didn't love us enough to stay; what was so wrong with us that she would leave us like she did?" Petalia suddenly burst into full tears. "What did we do to deserve this? Pappa hates Dedron and I, and Dedron is so angry, and I am so sad! She's hurt us and disgraced our family name! Dedron's nearly killed several servants for snickering about our mother and our uncle running away. Pappa practically ignores us; I don't think he loves us anymore. I'll bet he's glad I'm gone; I'll be one less person he has to worry about."
Caline was crying now as well, hurting for Petalia. "I am sorry; I wish I could help make you feel better."
Petalia said sadly, "Thanks, but nothing will help except changing the past."
"It's not your fault that your mother abandoned you," Caline told her tearfully. "Nor is it my fault that my father and husband have abused me. I used to think that I deserved whatever they did to me because I was inferior and a female, but I know now that's not true. You didn't deserve what happened with your parents, and it's not your fault. I wish there was some way that we both could be happy. At least your father doesn't abuse you or mistreat you the way mine used to and still does. If we live, I will have to back and live with him, or marry that awful Filcor Sedemeyer. I don't want to get married again, ever, and if I have to, I will run away, and this time, not even Father will be able to find me. I'd like to go home with your people, but I don't believe that will be allowed to happen."
"Maybe it can," Petalia told her slowly. "Don't give up hope, Caline; we all would like you to come live with us. Surely Great-Nama and Commander Dirkan can do something; no one dares defy them."
Jaden left Chestra and Zarbon briefly to visit the girls, for her Rybanese hearing had picked up the entire conversation. She placed herself in front of the tied-up girls and looked intensely at Petalia, asking sternly, "Did you say that your mother's name was Farla Chloe?"
Petalia nodded and asked shakily, "How did you know?"
Jaden was silent then, her usual dour face was grimmer, even for her, whose face was not accustomed to smiling or looking cheerful. Great, she thought, not only did those idiots Alberm and Reccor snatch the wrong Astorian princess, but one who happens to be the daughter of Balair's new whore. She looks just her mother, only much younger. It is a good thing she wound up in our clutches instead of Balair's; she wouldn't have survived him, and Balair would have been thrilled to have both a beautiful mother and daughter as his new concubines.
Chestra, who was now standing behind her, whispered urgently, "Jaden, come here, please. We need to talk about these girls." Zarbon was with Crystalis and Pork, giving them orders.
Jaden grunted a reply, and she and Chestra left Caline and Petalia; Jaden didn't even bother to answer Petalia's question. Under normal circumstances, Petalia would have thought that Jaden was rude and uncouth, but in this case, she was just thankful that Jaden had not killed anyone (that she knew of) but Alberm so far. She prayed silently that Jaden and her comrades would spare their captives, but it seemed to be unlikely.
Chestra and Jaden walked towards the cockpit, away from the girls, and Chestra asked, running a hand through her ruby-and-emerald-hair, "Jaden, what's to become of these girls? And of the CRP officers?"
Jaden sighed, looking back at the two little blond princesses. "Chestra, you know in most circumstances, we would have to kill any captives we had unless we thought that they could be useful to Frieza. The only thing those two girls would qualify for would be the Ginyu Girls."
Chestra snapped, "Balair would just love that! Especially if he finds out that Princess Petalia is the daughter of Princess Farla Chloe! My Kami, Jaden, she's Princess Kaydra's older sister! Kaydra has a sister!"
"And a brother, some punk named Dedron; I heard that much," Jaden told her evenly.
"Does she know about Kaydra?" Chestra asked anxiously, not wanting to lose her adopted daughter whom she had already come to love.
"I don't think so," Jaden told her. "Calm yourself, Chestra; you're not going to lose your new adoptee anytime soon. Getting back to business, if we are going to kill the captives, we probably should do so now; Baboon and his pilot are no longer any use to us. The girls, well, oh curses, why can't I bring myself to say, 'execute them'?"
"You realized that you still have the remains of a heart," Chestra told her gently. "It is not necessarily a fatal fault to be kind once in a while."
"It is, if you work for Frieza," Jaden told her dryly.
"But what harm could it really do to free the girls, and maybe even the officers? The Astorians already know we are going to attack them anyway."
"Chestra," Jaden told her grimly, "even if we don't kill them, someone else will. Either way, they are going to die. It would more merciful for us to kill them now, instead of having them run into the Saiyans, or Balair and his bunch."
"Commander Jaden!" Crystalis shrieked, as she looked out the same window that Pork had been looking out at earlier.
"What is it?" Jaden asked her, a bit impatiently, for she was now deep in thought.
"Balair, Dodoria, Bhodie, and Diamonique have arrived! And Diamonique has already started spreading the Saibamen seeds! Oh, what ugly little monsters they are! Look at them!"
Jaden and Chestra both sighed. "They waste no time, do they?" She turned back to Chestra. "And you want to release the captives into that mess?"
"Let it be their choice, Jaden," Chestra said firmly. "You said either way they are going to die anyway; let them make a run for it."
Jaden grumbled, "They could meet a worse fate than with us, Chestra. I say we should go on and kill them now."
Zarbon added, joining his mate and her friend, "I have to agree with Jaden, Chestra; Lord Frieza did insist that we clear the planet of all life, and with Alberm dead now, there is no point in sparing any Calmagians, unless we find some strong enough to work for Lord Frieza."
"He's right, Chestra," Jaden told her firmly.
"No, you two," Chestra said just as firmly. "Why don't we just release them? The problem should take care of itself; we have nothing to lose really by freeing them. If they are meant to die, then they will soon enough."
Jaden abruptly turned away from Chestra and Zarbon, and she stalked over to Petalia and Chestra. She gave them a cold, deadly look that could kill Frieza himself and said, "Do you have any last words?"
The girls began to tremble and shake, and tears streamed down both their cheeks, as Jaden reached down towards them, supposedly to finish their demise.
But to their surprise, Jaden tore the ropes that were binding them and dragged both princesses to their feet. She stuck her forbidding face into their frightened ones, carefully keeping her fearsome look.
"Listen to me very carefully," she told them severely, "I cannot guarantee that you two will live, but I am freeing you two. What happens to you after that is no concern of mine here, or anyone else's. Someone else will probably find you and destroy you, but at least you will have a chance to run for it or fight. If you are lucky, your families will find you before then; if not, you will be better off dead than as prisoners under Lord Frieza."
Caline said timidly, "Can the CRP officers come with us?"
Jaden looked at Zarbon, but Zarbon answered wryly, "This is your affair, Jaden."
Jaden barked at Crystalis and Pork, "Crystalis, Pork, I want you two to lead these girls out of here, and the CRP officers as well." She turned to Caline and said coldly, "You two and those fools are on your own from here on out. Do not expect help from us, if you are caught, understand?"
Caline and Petalia nodded eagerly. "We thank you very much, Miss Jaden-" Caline began.
"Commander Jaden," Jaden corrected her.
"Thank you, Commander Jaden!" Petalia gasped breathlessly.
"Yeah, yeah, don't thank me yet," Jaden told her stiffly. "Just don't do anything stupid, got it?" She thrust the girls onto their feet and shoved them towards Crystalis and Pork, who escorted them, and the CRP officers. Caline cried out to Jaden, "Oh thank you, very, very much, Commander Jaden! We shall be forever grateful for your mercy, truly, we will-"
"Enough," Zarbon told her icily. "Keep quiet until you are gone. You are no longer our concern."
None of the captives said another word, as Crystalis and Pork led them towards the door and guided them outside. They began to run away, and once they were a safe distance from the cruiser, Petalia grabbed Caline by her waist after the CRP officers told her they were going to stay down and fight.
"I still have a job to do," Lieutenant Balboun told them. "Since you can fly, Princess Petalia, would you please take Princess Caline with you back to your family?"
Petalia nodded, and Balboun barked to Daukin, who was a fighter as well as a pilot, "Come, Daukin, we have much work to do! We must fight for Calmag; the war is far from over!"
"Gooden luken!" Petalia told the officers, as she flew into the air with Caline in her arms.
"Farewell! Be brave, be careful!" Caline called to them, as she and Petalia went higher and higher into the Magan air.
Balair and Dodoria were so excited that they couldn't decide where to begin. Balair turned to Bhodie, who was just recuperating from his wounds. The survivors in the hospice had been excellent nurses, and in a few hours time, Bhodie was once again able to stand on his feet and move about, although much slower than before. Balair had even agreed to spare the three nurses, providing that he be allowed to caress and kiss the lone female one. He had his fun with her, but he did not rape her, for he had no time left to do so. "Bhodie, do you remember how to tell an Astorian from a Calmagian?"
"Yes, sir," Bhodie said eagerly, trying to ignore the dull pain in his chest.
"What do you remember? I know that you have never seen an Astorian before. We also call them 'Astories' or 'rabbits'," Balair told him firmly, as he watched the green Saibamen terrorize the citizens by jumping onto them and self-destructing on them.
"I have heard of them being called 'Astories', but why are they called rabbits?" Bhodie wanted to know.
Dodoria chuckled, as several men jumped off the roof of a three-floor bakery to escape the Saibamen. The men did not hit the ground because Diamonique shot them with lasers, turning them into diamond statues. She clawed many of the fleeing Calmagians with her fatal nails, poisoning them. "Astorians are called rabbits because they breed like them; many Astorian families can have up to as many as thirty or forty children. The typical Astorian woman has a baby almost every year!"
Balair laughed. "That's Astories for you; they just don't know when to say when! I can't imagine having that many brats, especially if most of them are born girls! Astories are also called that because they can huddle and flee like rabbits as well! Anyway, Bhode, just to remind you, Astorians can fly, and Calmagians can't. Astorians bleed blue blood, and Calmagians bleed yellow blood. And Astorians can electrocute people, so be on your guard. Show no mercy with them, for they won't with you." Balair winked at Dodoria and Bhodie. "Got to go now, men!" And with that, he shot off into the air like a rocket, on his way to cause more havoc.
Dodoria and Bhodie grinned. "Well, Bhode," Dodoria told the Human, "it's time to begin our dirty work." And with that, Dodoria shot out a mouth laser that would have blasted away an entire street of houses, except for one thing…
"MIRROR SHIELD!" And with that, Dodoria's mouth blast backfired right back onto him, scorching his tough pink skin. Dodoria yelled loudly in pain, as his own blast nearly consumed him. In a few seconds, he was sitting on his bottom in shock, scorched and somewhat weakened.
Bhodie gasped in horror, and Dodoria cried out at his attacker, "Who are you?"
The attacker, a tall man with clear blue eyes and golden-brown hair, lean, muscular build, stepped forward boldly out of the smoke that his Mirror Shield attack had created.
"You may not know me, Dodoria, but unfortunately, I remember you very well-from almost twenty years ago. You were one of the few people that I was hoping never to see again."
Dodoria trembled slightly, for he recognized the calm, even voice, steady and smooth as a lake in summer, yet hiding its owner's true, deep power, normally dormant, but now deadly as an exploding star. The voice was the velvet covering the steel, the steel being the normally gentle man that this warrior was.
Dodoria trembled for a moment, finally remembering whom this stranger who so boldly and effectively attacked him was….
Dodoria had been a young man, determined to do his mentor, Sagash, proud. A young Astorian prince with brown hair mixed with gold and eyes the color of Astoria's skies had ruthlessly and flawed attacked him and Sagash by electrocuting both of them with Electric Quake after he had thrown them onto the ground. He had shouted curses of anger, this normally gentle Astorian prince, a prince who had warned him and Sagash in advance to leave…
"I warned you, Dodoria, as well as that red ape you call Sagash! I gave you two a chance to flee and live, but now you both have blown it, and now I shall destroy the two of you, so you may never harm others again! I will NEVER forgive you for what you beasts have done to my people and my home!"….
Dodoria shook in fear, remembering how this stranger nearly killed him, so ruthlessly, so skillfully. He tried to hide his fear of this man, but he couldn't shake the memory of the day when he had fought…
"You-you-are-" he cried aloud.
"Yes," the Astorian male said calmly, "You haven't forgotten my face, though it seems you have forgotten my name. You will remember it in hell, so I shall tell you my name before you perish: Prince Raakon Chloe!"
Dodoria trembled harder, and Bhodie had never seen the Top Elite fighter so shaken.
"And now, Dodoria, seeing as you have not changed your evil ways, I will have to end your life, as much as I hate to do so." And with that, Raakon lunged at Dodoria. Dodoria scrambled to his feet to confront him; no matter how much Raakon unnerved him, Dodoria could not run away now.
"This one is for you, Sagash," Dodoria whispered shakily, as he prepared to defend himself against Raakon.
"Hey, you spiky puffball, remember us?" a gruff voice belonging to a large, muscular, broad man with a dark mustache and beard shouted at Dodoria.
"We sure didn't forget him, unfortunately!" another Astorian male warrior crowed. He had a golden-brown mustache and beard, and his height and build were similar to Raakon's, although his personality was more like the second man's.
"I'll be looking forward to squashing this pink bug!" the large man boasted to his friend. "What do you think, Lektron?"
"Hey, Bajal, I'm with you! Let's smash him, though it's going to be a nasty pink mess to clean up!"
"Get him, Raakon!" Bajal shouted, as Raakon and Dodoria exchanged kicks and punches, with Raakon slamming his fist hard into Dodoria's paunchy stomach. He turned to Lektron. "Hey Lek, you want to take care of that scrawny humanoid man; looks like he works for Frieza, no Calmagian there!"
"I can handle him!" Lektron boasted, as he prepared to finish Bhodie off.
Bhodie stood up, and he fired a strong ki blast at Lektron, but Lektron laughed, easily deflecting it with his hand. Bhodie panicked a bit then, for he had no really special attacks like his comrades did. The ki blasts he knew, the ones that Balair had taught him, were powerful, but obviously not powerful enough to take down an Astorian. Bhodie shot another ki blast at Lektron, but Lektron used Mirror Shield, and then a quick Rings of Saturn Scarf on him, quickly draining the Human's energy.
"Hey, this guy is easy!" Lektron boasted, as he continued to use his energy scarf to drain Bhodie's energy. He laughed at Bhodie's agony, as he also watched Bajal and Raakon fight Dodoria with their swords. Raakon had slashed a deep gash in Dodoria's side, cutting through the armor, and both him and Bajal were electrocuting him. Dodoria screamed in agony, horrified that two supposedly weaker creatures were defeating him so easily. Raakon took a moment to wrap Dodoria in a Rings of Saturn Scarf, and he began to drain the fat, pink warrior of his energy.
"Way to go, men!" Bajal roared happily. "Down with Frieza, up with Astoria!" He punched Dodoria hard in the back of his spiky head below the spikes. "And down with those who serve him as well!"
Raakon was amazed that Dodoria was so easy to attack, even after all these years. Dodoria hardly had a chance to throw a punch. He, Bajal, and Lektron were pleased; Frieza's minions were stronger now, but so were they.
"Hey, we'll probably have Frieza's minions wiped out in one day!" Lektron cheered happily. "This battle is going to be easier than we thought!"
"I'm almost disappointed myself," Bajal declared. "I thought these pigs and apes would be more of a challenge!"
"Oh, you won't be too disappointed," cooed a silky, icy-sweet voice.
Lektron turned around, as he continued to drain Bhodie's energy. His jaw dropped, and so did the jaws of Bajal and Raakon, for there stood Diamonique, whom none of the three men had seen before. They were amazed by her beauty, and would have stared at her more had they not been faithful, married men.
"Who are you?" Lektron asked her in amazement, trying not to stare at her too much. Good thing Gracina wasn't around at the moment.
Diamonique smiled sweetly. "You may call me Diamonique, handsome."
"What are you? Are you on our side?" Bajal inquired, as he held Dodoria's neck in a viselike grip.
Diamonique smiled wider, as she continued, "I am of the Gemstarian race, an elite-class Gemstarian of the Diamondian Tribe."
This puzzled Bajal and Lektron, for in all their years of fighting, they had never heard of Gemstarians, but Raakon knew because he had read up on them-and he had heard of the deadly beauty, Diamonique. "You two, be careful!" he cried aloud. "She is dangerous! The Gemstarians all serve Frieza, and so does she!"
"How right you are!" Diamonique purred, as he raised her slender hand in an open palm at a 45-degree angle. A bluish-white blast shot from her hand and hit Raakon in his back hard. Raakon screamed in horror, as his body quickly solidified into a diamond form, starting from his back in both directions up and down. In a few seconds, a perfect statue of Raakon stood lifeless and still, made of diamond. The Rings of Saturn Scarf attack that Raakon had held on Dodoria vanished, and Dodoria quickly regained his energy.
"RAAKON!" Bajal and Lektron screamed in horror. Bajal, not thinking, released Dodoria and fell down to his wide, muscled knees. Bajal had not cried since he was five years old (at least not in public), but now the tears began to cascade slowly down his chiseled, manly face. He pushed past Dodoria and threw himself at the diamond statue that was now Raakon. In horror, he threw his meaty arms around his diamond brother. Raakon was forever frozen in time, his mouth stopped in a horrified scream, a last scream.
"Raakon!" he cried with a sob. "No! Not my brother! Not another sibling!"
Lektron's body trembled, as he barely held onto Bhodie. "Raakon!" Tears began to form in his eyes before he could prevent it. In a few minutes, he successfully drained all of Bhodie's energy, and the scarf faded. After wards, he pulled Bhodie towards him by his collar and punched the weakened Human hard in his face. Throwing Bhodie to the ground hard (Bhodie was now unconscious), Lektron whirled on Diamonique. "You murderer! You tramp! I don't care if you are a woman; you will pay for what you did to my friend!"
"Of course I will pay," Diamonique laughed merrily, "with diamonds." And she raised her hand again, and in two minutes Lektron himself was a diamond statue.
"LEKTRON!" Bajal cried in horror, but his cry of horror would stay frozen, for Diamonique quickly turned him into a diamond statue as well.
Dodoria laughed evilly, "Way to go, Diamonique! I'm amazed!"
Diamonique smiled. "Thank you! I love my masterpieces. What should I do with them?"
"Leave them as a warning to all Astorians!" Dodoria declared, as Bhodie weakly struggled to his feet.
