Chapter One-Hundred-And-Five: Beginning Of The Showdown Against Zarbon

In downtown Magan…

"Cirono?" Shalila asked, recognizing the quiet, young man who had helped them in the labyrinths earlier.

Cirono bowed towards her politely. The Superior Gran, her husband, and her grandson were now crouching down behind a huge garbage dumpster, as they watched the Ginyu Force members, sans Ginyu, practicing their pre-battle poses in the middle of the street. He had just found them when he had heard the Ginyu Force members shout their battle cries, and he was now bending down towards Astoria's female ruler.

"I am here to offer my assistance, Superior Gran Shalila," Cirono told her. "Will you accept?"

"Yes, absolutely," Shalila told him gladly. But she added quietly, "You do realize how dangerous the Ginyu Force members are, am I correct?"

"Yes, Superior Gran, and I can tell you something about one of them. Have you ever had to fight against the short, green, four-eyed creature called Guido?"

"No, I haven't," Shalila admitted. "We've fought against the other members before; Guido must be new."

"He doesn't appear or feel to be that strong," Dirkan told him.

"He doesn't need physical strength," Cirono told them. "Before I came here, I shadowed Guido around the city for quite a bit. He was by himself, looking for a place that had cheese and chili, but he couldn't find any restaurant that was still in good enough condition to serve them. Some CRP officers tried to arrest him when they caught Guido looting an abandoned cheese shop, but Guido turned on this strange device that he called a scouter. Apparently the scouter told him what he needed to know, because he took a deep breath and managed to hold it for a while. The strange thing was that I froze in place, unable to move for practically forever, unaware of my surroundings! And when I came to, it seemed that time had not passed at all, and when I was able to move again, all of the cheese from the cheese shop had disappeared. I couldn't remember what happened at all, and Guido was gone. It was like I was frozen in time, and those CRP officers that tried to arrest Guido told me that they had felt the same way."

"Frozen in time?" Bajal asked, puzzled.

"Yes," Cirono told him. "And I realized that I really was frozen in time."

"How?" Shalila asked him.

"I was a very good scholar at one time, and I had studied different races before. Guido is from a peaceful race called the Basin. I was at this seminar where an Intergalacticpol officer gave a lecture, and he talked to us for a while about several planets that Frieza had conquered, but allowed the races on those planets to live. Planet Bas, where Guido is from, is a planet that is currently under Frieza's control. The Basin race is normally a peaceful, gentle people, who have telepathic and telekinetic capabilities, but their most interesting talent is the ability to stop time for as long as they can hold their breath."

"Sounds like a skill that would come in handy," Bajal noted.

"And one that could easily be misused," Dirkan observed. "I can see how Guido was able to restrain you and the others, Cirono."

"Yes," Cirono affirmed.

"So, it is this Guido that we should attack first," Shalila said, already planning.

"I'll take that green thing on," Bajal insisted. "If I catch him off guard, it still shouldn't be too hard."

"And then your grandmother, Cirono, and I can deal with the other three," Dirkan said, agreeing. "I'll take Reccoom."

"And I will handle Baata," Shalila added quietly. "That leaves Jeice for Cirono, if he doesn't object."

"Not at all," Cirono told her.

Dirkan warned him, "Jeice is not as strong as Baata or Reccoom, but he maintains a good balance between speed and strength. He and Baata usually like to fight together, so don't be surprised, if those two decide to fight you and my wife at once."

"I'll remember that," Cirono replied.

"You won't remember much when we send ya to the next dimension!" a smooth, debonair voice called out.

Shalila, Dirkan, Bajal, and Cirono gasped. They had been absorbed in their planning that they had not taken time to feel for ki signatures.

Jeice had found them! He was standing behind Cirono, grinning.

"Good time I picked to take a leak!" he said cheerfully.










In the hotel lobby at the Angori Hotel…

"Where is my granddaughter?" King Kitchator demanded to know of a convalescing Gracina, who had just awakened. The blue dome that Gracina had been healing under had now dissipated, and she was fully awake, almost reenergized. Gracina's room had been on the first floor of the hotel, and Riccan and his siblings had wheeled their mother's bed out into the hotel lobby before Gracina awoke. Gracina was sitting up in bed.

Riccan and his siblings had been staying with their mother, with Riccan wondering and worrying where his father and Tayla were. He had wanted to go visit Tayla, but when he had learned of what happened to his mother, he had decided to wait and remain with his parent instead. Riccan felt about worried, for he could sense that Tayla's ki was now very far away, above him.

He hoped that Tayla was okay.

But now he had to get rid of these annoying people who were pestering his mother about where Caline was. King Kitchator, Filcor Sedemeyer, Prince Julien, and Queen Kildara had just arrived at the darkened hotel, carrying flashlights and searching for Caline and Naykiar.

Why couldn't they leave Caline alone?

Why did they have to be so mean to her?

He hoped that Caline was okay too.

"Stop bothering my mother!" Riccan ordered his great-uncle. "You all go away and leave her alone!"

"Riccan," Gracina said quietly, resting a hand on her son's shoulder. "That is enough. I will be alright." Calmly, she addressed King Kitchator, "I have no idea where that poor child is. Is she okay?"

"She better be!" Filcor Sedemeyer, who was with the Calmagian king, growled. "She is my fiancée after all! Now where are you hiding her?"

"I am not-wait a minute! Caline is not your fiancée! Ridikar broke the engagement between you two. Did Ridikar-"

"Ridikar," Queen Kildara said sadly, "has died." Gracina looked down into her lap and whispered:

"Poor Tayla and Caline."

"And I am now to become king in his place," Julien informed her. "And I have reinstated Caline's engagement to Filcor. We are looking for her and Naykiar. Where are they?"

Gracina said indignantly, "Wait a minute! Do you mean to tell me that Caline will once again be forced to marry Filcor?"

"Forced?" Filcor declared angrily. "She should be happy to become my wife! You act, as if we are preparing to drag her down the aisle in chains and shackles to make her mine!"

Gracina hissed, "That's pretty much how her wedding to Alberm went, wasn't it?"

"What?" King Kitchator exclaimed.

"How much did Caline tell you?" Queen Kildara asked.

Gracina said evenly, trying to remain calm, "Caline has told me many things about her life since we've become close, like mother and daughter. It took me a while to convince her to talk to me, but she eventually trusted me enough to do so. She told me how she ran away from home to escape that first horrible marriage to Alberm. According to her, that bastard, Alberm, went to her bedroom one week before their wedding day and stole her from there to take her to his bedroom. He raped her several times that night, she told me. The things that he made her do…" Her voice faltered, as she took a deep breath. Tears clouded her sky-blue eyes, as she continued:

"The things that Alberm did to Caline and forced her to do with him included many perversions that I have never heard of…things that I never thought a couple could do in bed. Alberm Dunlop took an innocent eleven-year-old girl and used her like a toy, making her do whatever he wanted, no matter how much she told him no. She screamed for help, but no one would come to her aid. The next day, she said that she had told Ridikar and her father, and both of them turned against her, telling her that Alberm had the right to do what he did. She also went to her grandparents, is that true?"

"She did tell us," King Kitchator acknowledged. "And she upset my wife unnecessarily too. Your Aunt Kildara wanted me to break the engagement between Caline and Alberm, but Alberm would have taken the girl on their wedding night anyway, so what difference did a week make? I agree that Alberm had gone too far that night, but he had already taken the girl, and what was done was done."

"She ran away after that night," Queen Kildara said with a catch in her soft voice, "without saying goodbye. She hid out for close to four weeks before she was found again."

"Yes," Gracina told her stiffly. "Did she ever tell you or anyone where she had been hiding or what she had been doing during those weeks on the run?"

"No, never," Kildara said quietly.

"Did you even bother to ask her?"

"I tried to once," Kildara faltered. "But she was completely changed, especially after her marriage to Alberm. She became quiet and passive, only speaking when necessary. It was like she died the night that Alberm had taken her, and I wanted to do something, but I didn't. None of us did."

"No," Gracina said in a cold tone, "You didn't, Aunt Kildara. You are an Astorian Princess of Chloe, a race that treats women as equals to men, and you stood by and did nothing when Caline came to you and the rest of her family for help. She didn't feel that she could trust anyone, and so she ran away."

"When she had been brought back, her father had beaten her almost to death, and the next day, with bruises, belt and whip scars all over her body, not fully healed, she married Alberm. She cried and begged you and your husband to stop the ceremony and not make her marry that awful man, but you didn't. In fact, your husband told her to stop holding up the ceremony. So, with two huge black eyes, a ladder of scars on her back, and tearstained cheeks, she married her rapist, with no one caring enough to save her, not even the few people that she thought that she could trust. And you stood by, Aunt Kildara, Uncle Kitchator, and allowed it to happen. Why?"

Kildara held her golden head down, deeply ashamed and guilt-ridden. Kitchator was unable to look into the steady eyes of his niece-by-marriage. Filcor had his fists clenched, and Julien was sulking. Filcor had refused to attend Caline's wedding to Alberm out of protest, but Julien had been there, along with the rest of his siblings. None of them were denying what had happened to Caline, but none of them could tell Gracina the reason that they stood by and did nothing.

Gracina arose out of her bed in a pale blue nightgown, as she said in that icy tone, "All of you failed her when she needed you the most, and now all of you intend to force her back into that same situation with another man that she does not wish to be with." She looked right at Filcor, staring straight into her eyes. "Are you Filcor Sedemeyer?"

"Y-yes," Filcor told the tall, beautiful blond woman. He tensed them; not many women could unnerve him so the way that this willowy Princess of Chloe was doing.

Gracina said in her harsh tone, "Caline has told me much about you, the man that wishes to be her second husband. You were married once before to a girl named Carie Ryce, am I correct?"

"That's correct," Filcor told her, a bit more bravely. "I married her before, and it was after she died that I offered for Caline. Caline was her closest friend, but I had to forbid any contact between them after Caline had hidden my wife fro8m me for three months. Apparently losing Caline affected Carie more than I thought that it would because Carie jumped off a bridge and drowned shortly after I forbade her ever to see Caline again."

"So do you think that with a reputation for making a girl's life miserable, do you really think that you deserve her best friend?" Gracina asked severely. "Do you intend to 'discipline' Caline the same way that you used to do this Carie, if Caline displeases you?"

"I want her," Filcor told her stiffly. "Her grandfather and brother have promised her as a reward for my services, and I will have her."

"No, you won't," Gracina told him in a tone that could shred steel.

"What?" Filcor growled.

"You heard me," Gracina told him icily. "Caline is one Calmagian girl that won't be forced to become someone's legal sex slave, especially yours. She is right; you are no better than her last husband. You are nothing more than a legalized child molester, and Alberm was just like you. You won't touch Caline or bother her again, and my family and I will do everything that we can to prevent her history from repeating itself."

"You have no say here!" Julien insisted. "My grandfather and I determine Caline's fate, not you, and not your family!"

"True," Gracina told the snotty prince quietly. "You are right about that, but there is one thing that we can do to prevent Caline's next forced marriage."

"And what's that?" Julien hissed.

Gracina said solemnly, "We can refuse to ally with your planet."

"That's not your call to make, young lady!" King Kitchator snapped. "Only your grandparents, your sister, Gorna, and your nephew, Rojal, decide that."

"Again, that's true," Gracina told her uncle calmly. "But my family is a scrupulous one, and I am sure that my grandmother and her husband would not want their people to ally with a planet that forces young girls to become legalized concubines for perverted older men. I pity the women and girls of your planet, Uncle Kitchator, and I wish we could do something to ensure happiness for all of them. But we will at least do something for Caline; we all love her as one of our own, and we protect those we consider our own. Caline is not going to be forced to marry Filcor Sedemeyer, if she does not wish it."

"You don't decide that!" Julien roared at her. He turned to his grandfather. "Grandfather…tell her!"

"Julien, I will handle this!" King Kitchator growled. He turned to Gracina and said, "Young lady, Caline is of my family, and I can take care of my own! And you dare to threaten to have your family refuse to ally with our planet! You may be my niece-by-marriage, but you have no real influence here-"

"You're right, Uncle Kitchator, but I do," said a stony female voice.

All of the parties discussing Caline's fate involved turned towards the entrance of the hotel lobby-and a large, plump woman with dull brown hair and duller green eyes resting upon the back of a tall, muscular golden-haired man. Even in the darkened hotel lobby, Gracina happily recognized them.

"Lektron! Gorna!" Gracina exclaimed, running towards them.

"Pappa!" Riccan and his siblings shrieked, joining their mother.

"Hey, Gracie, you're okay!" Lektron crowed joyously, as he carried Gorna towards her sister. He gently tried to settle Gorna in a comfortable chair, but Gorna refused to sit down. Instead, she tottered to her huge feet. She was battle-scarred with tattered clothes, but she had an air of authority and majesty at this moment appropriate for a future ruler of Astoria. She held on to the arm of the chair to steady herself. It had, of course, been her, who had addressed King Kitchator and those with him just now.

Gracina was enveloped in Lektron's strong arms, kissing him passionately and longingly. Riccan was squabbling with his siblings over who would get to hug their father first. Tila had attached herself to the back of her father's leg, and Tayka had leapt onto his back, almost knocking her parents down. Finally Riccan and Nikon contented themselves with hugging their parents around their waists.

While this warm family reunion was taking place, Gorna addressed her Uncle Kitchator, "What is going on here?"

Julien snapped, "Your sister, Gracina, thinks that she can convince all of you to refuse to ally with us just because I reinstated Caline's engagement to Filcor Sedemeyer!"

"She can," Gorna said quietly. "And she did."

"WHAT?" King Kitchator exclaimed.

"That's right," Gorna said evenly. "I had Steak the Meatian breathe in my ears before I entered the lobby, and Lektron and I had been listening for the past ten minutes. And my signature is required on the alliance papers, Uncle Kitchator, because if I don't sign them, the alliance between our planets ends upon my grandmother's death, assuming that she would even want to sign the papers herself. I don't believe that she would to either, especially when she eventually learns that Caline would once again be forced into another unwanted marriage."

"So, Uncle Kitchator, if you still wish for our planets to ally with each other, I would think seriously before forcing Caline, a brave young girl who helped to save you and your people, to marry against her will. All of us owe her our lives, and a second forced marriage is how you intend to reward her? If that were how your family shows gratitude, I'd hate to see how they show anger or contempt. As for me, I am not signing any of the alliance papers, if your poor granddaughter is forced to marry without her consent. And since Rojal is my son, and his signature is needed as well, I will see that he doesn't sign either. Think about this carefully, Uncle Kitchator. I will give you some time to consider this, but not much. Decide soon."

Shortly after this speech, Lektron and Gracina managed to pry their children off of them, so that they could go help Gorna walk away. Gracina shot Uncle Kitchator and the others one last look of contempt before they escorted Gorna to find Toria to heal her.












On the roof of the Angori Hotel…

"So," Zarbon said smoothly. "Who wishes to face me first?"

"Let's attack at the same time," Bendros told Tayla.

"I'm with that," Tayla agreed.

And after that, they both leapt off of the ground and flew in the air towards Zarbon. Zarbon flew at them with his fists outstretched. Before Tayla and Bendros could strike him, Zarbon punched both of them in their stomachs hard, his two fists crashing deep into their abdomens. And before Bendros could recover, Zarbon launched an uppercut straight into the Sastorian warrior's jaw. Zarbon decided to get Bendros out of the way first, and he landed a series of punches onto Bendros's face and torso, with Bendros barely holding him off.

Just then, Tayla's small fist collided with Zarbon's cheekbone, and when Zarbon turned around to retaliate, Tayla's other fist landed into Zarbon's golden eye. Zarbon then kneed her in her stomach, and afterwards, he elbowed her in her ribs hard. Tayla fell back, and then she dashed forward with her left foot outstretched to land a roundhouse kick into Zarbon's jaw. Her attempt failed immediately, however, as Zarbon reached under her knee and punched it, throwing her off guard. Tayla fell backwards to the ground, and Zarbon began to jump down upon her with his elbow headed towards her ribs.

But before Zarbon could finish his assault, Bendros intervened with a punch to Zarbon's cheek. He then punched Zarbon in his ribs with his other fist, causing Zarbon to fall to the ground. Zarbon leapt to his feet and launched himself upon Bendros. His fist collided with Bendros's fist, and the two men were able to match each other blow for blow and kick for kick. Bendros kicked Zarbon in his stomach while Zarbon punched Bendros in his cheek. Bendros turned around to hit him, but before he could do so, Zarbon punched him in his nose with one fist and used his other fist to sock him in his shoulder. He then shoved Bendros away and came up from behind him with both of his fists clenched. Before Bendros could escape, Zarbon pounded the middle of Bendros's back with both fists.

"Bendros!" Tayla shrieked, flying towards both him and Zarbon.

Zarbon then abandoned Bendros at the moment, deciding to focus his attention on Tayla. He landed one final punch in Bendros's head, and then he left Bendros for Tayla. Tayla flew up to meet Zarbon, and Zarbon wasted no time in socking her in her face. Tayla then sent her tiny fist crashing into Zarbon's ribs, but Zarbon kneed her in her stomach once more. He then slammed his fist into Tayla's nose, causing it to bleed. Tayla kicked Zarbon in his ribs, crushing his armor, as she took a brief moment to wipe her bloody nose. Zarbon then seized Tayla by her shoulders and shoved his right foot into her ribs, and he began kicking at her repeatedly. Tayla could barely hold him off, for he was so strong, one of the strongest of Frieza's Top Elite. But finally, Tayla was able to land a hard punch to Zarbon's right amber eye, and Zarbon shrieked. He then slammed his fist into Tayla's shoulder and kicked her hard in her stomach at the same time, finally knocking the girl to the ground onto her bottom. Tayla panted for air and wiped her bleeding nose again.

"Not bad!" Zarbon laughed, dusting himself off. "Not bad at all. The Saiyan monkeys were right about you being so tough after all. Who'd ever thought that a small fry such as you could hold off against me for so long. I am truly impressed, Princess Tayla, but I am afraid that all of your combat skills won't be enough to defeat me, young lady. I suggest that you surrender now before you get yourself any more injured than you already are. I would hate to have to destroy such a fine potential soldier for Frieza's forces, and Frieza would not be happy, if I hurt you too badly."

Tayla struggled to her tiny feet, as Zarbon continued:

"So, you rise again, eh? Again, I am impressed, little girl. Are you sure that you wish to continue to attempt to fight this useless battle against me? As a matter of fact, I am-"

Before Zarbon could say anymore, he felt a hard, angry fist crash into the back of his head, as he fell forward. Zarbon didn't fall down, however, and he turned around to confront his attacker.

"Well, so the half-breed monkey wishes to rejoin the fight again? Ah, very well."

And so he launched himself upon Bendros, who was more than ready for him. He and Zarbon began to punch and kick at each other, matching each other blow for blow and kick for kick. Zarbon's fist pounded Bendros's jaw while Bendros's fist broke into Zarbon's armor in his rib area. Bendros then kicked Zarbon in his shin, but Zarbon took that opportunity to use both of his fists to hit Bendros at the same time, with one fist slamming into Bendros's jaw and the other fist crashing into his stomach. Zarbon then began to punch and pummel at Bendros mercilessly, and his assaults were now at full force, full strength. Bendros could barely hold Zarbon off, and he landed a hard kick into Bendros's ribs, forcing him to the ground.

On the ground, Bendros was quick to draw his sword, and he managed to pull himself to his feet again with sword in hand. He decided to take care of Zarbon with a blade, figuring that it would be a faster way to go.

But before Bendros could launch his sword at Zarbon, Zarbon shot a small ki blast that knocked Bendros's sword out of his hand. Bendros's sword whirled through the air and its point fell and sank into a brick wall that bordered the hotel roof. Zarbon then fired another ki blast at Bendros, hitting him hard in his ribs before Bendros could use Mirror Shield. Bendros cried out, but he managed to roll away before Zarbon launched another ki blast onto the roof.

Zarbon then fired a fourth ki blast at Bendros with one hand, but this time, Bendros was on his feet, and he managed to deflect the attack with Mirror Shield, forcing Zarbon's attack back onto him. Zarbon screamed, as his own attack sent him crashing into the ground near the edge of the roof. While Zarbon was struggling to his feet, Tayla joined Bendros's side.

"Bendros, are you okay?" she asked.

Bendros panted, "I-I think so, little Tayla." He then added, "Little Tayla, we can't fight Zarbon here anymore…we have to move this fight to another location. The next ki blast could destroy this hotel and everyone in it."

Tayla nodded in agreement.

Zarbon was on his feet by then. Bendros called out, "Zarbon, how about finishing this battle somewhere else, somewhere outside of the city?"

"It doesn't matter to me, monkey," Zarbon told Bendros coolly, as he dusted himself off. "I could care less about the people of this hotel or this city, but I will gladly defeat the two of you anywhere. I personally would choose that lovely little cliff just five miles away from here." He then pointed towards a little white cliff just ten minutes outside of the city of Magan.

"Fine with us," Bendros told him. "We'll see you there."

Zarbon smiled and replied, "You know that not all of us will be coming back alive, right?"

"Don't count your corpses before they're buried!" Tayla retorted, using a phrase of Dirkan's that her Namek guardian liked to use occasionally.

Zarbon chuckled. "Don't be late, you two. I will meet you two fools at that cliff!" And with that, Zarbon flew away. Tayla and Bendros took their time to gather their breaths, as Bendros went to retrieve his sword from the brick wall where it had landed.