Chapter 5-Journey of Another
Trunks gazed at the time machine. The day had finally arrived. He would rather have taken his mother with him, but this was what she wanted. The android was taking too long. Its not as if she had any clothes to take with her. She finally exited the house and they boarded the time machine together. "What took you so long?" "I was saying goodbye to your mother." "Goodbye?" "I know what she told you to do. I'm sad because I'll miss her, but it's for the best I suppose. Its not like anyone here will miss me anyway." She turned her head to stare out the window. They rose into the air and disappeared. ************************************************************************ 18 looked outside the ship. The terrible wrenching motion had finally stopped. She turned to trunks, "where are we?" "New Namek" "That quickly?" "The Nameks chose a planet that wasn't as far from Earth as their original home had been, and technology has advanced." 18 stared around as they exited the ship and Trunks encapsulated it. They were in the wilderness. It was beautiful there. She had never taken time to appreciate beauty except in herself. "Come on." Trunks said roughly and launched himself into the sky. He still hates me, she thought and caught up to him. "where are we going?" "To find a better spot for the capsule house, it's too windy and not level enough here." He ignored her and sped on as she silently followed. ************************************************************************ The palace was on fire, a young man was running through the halls clutching tightly to a little girl's hand. "Come on Sana! We have to hurry!" "No wait! Where's Mes?!" "Don't worry Sana, Serit will find him. Come on we have to go!" He scooped her up into his arms and continued to run. All around him walls were collapsing, evidence of the battle going on outside. He finally arrived at a corridor. Sounds could be heard outside; the enemy would soon be upon them. He sat the girl down on the floor and pointed down the corridor. "The soldiers will be here soon. Listen to me Sana. Go straight down this hall. Run as fast as you can and don't stop for anything! At the end you'll see a space pod. Get in it and close the door. You remember what button I told you to push?" She sniffed and nodded, "the white one with the blue star." "Good. Push that button; the pod will take you out of here. Don't worry; it's all planned out. You'll be safe." Her brows furrowed. "What about you? Aren't you coming with me?!" He knelt down and pulled her into his arms, hugging her close. "No Sana, I can't go with you this time." He released her and pulled the strap that held his sword and scabbard over his head, and pushed them into her hands. "I want you to keep these for me. Promise me you'll keep them until I come to get them." Tears were streaming down the little girl's face. "But Lokil-" "Promise me!" he said more urgently "I promise!" she sobbed. He hugged her again and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry." He smiled " When this is over it'll all just be one bad dream. Hey, I'll even play dolls with you ok?" She nodded and continued to cry. "You have to be brave little fighter." He said, "be brave and remember, I love you." He hugged her one last time and pushed her in the direction of the hall. "Go" The girl nodded tearfully. She turned, clutching the sword against her, and ran toward the pod. The young man turned back and waited to face the oncoming soldiers.
Aesana stared at the sky. Her short, tan, skin-like fur bristled against the wind. A few strands of her long dark green hair managed to pull free of the braid that trapped them and fell into her face. She touched the hilt of the sword that hung at her side. Remembering the young man that had given it to her. I have taken great care of your sword as I promised Lokil. When will you come to claim it? I miss you and the others so much. I promised to keep your sword until you came for it but.you won't. You're gone and I miss you so much. She wiped away a tear and shaded her eyes peering of into the horizon. She was finally here. She only hoped they would listen. She wanted to save this planet, needed to save this planet. For her brothers. Aesana could remember sitting in the Great Hall at the Watcher's Keep on Fayilon with her mother as a little girl. Her mother used to tell her great stories of the Graedel, her people. She and Mother had been the only Graedel left. The rest were dead. Aesana remembered little of her world but she did have some distant memories and Mother's stories. It had been filled with flowers, a warm tropical paradise from out of a storybook. Trees everywhere and most animals were friendly toward the Graedel. Graedeserie, it had been called. If you got up early enough in the morning, you could hear the lark-angels sing to wake the sun. Fayilon did not have any lark-angels, or trees, or flowers. Nothing grew on Fayilon where the Watchers lived. Even so, Aesana and her mother had made the best of it, until Mo'byere got worse in Mother. She had gotten the disease during "The Great Breaking" when Graedeserie was destroyed and the two of them had fled. Toxic chemicals had been released from the planet's core causing her to contract Mo'byere (the strangling death). It killed her. When her mother died, Aesana stayed with the Watchers and became a Watcher. She closed her eyes. A Watcher. Watchers saw the planets without actually seeing them. True to their name they watched and kept records of historic, but never interfered. The stream of time flows as it will, destroying and creating, as it must. At 19 she was the youngest of the Watchers. Some Watchers took to watching a particular planet. Of course, since there were only 14 Watchers most Watchers took more than one. Aesana only had one planet. Earth. She had chosen this planet partly because no one else had, and partly because it reminded her of Graedeserie with all the green things it had had. More than the actual planet she watched the people. Earth people interested her. Aesana had seen the earth when it was attacked by the saijins, when some of the group had gone to Namek, and finally when the androids and had come. She cried at that thought, so many lives had been lost, and what made it worse was that she could do no more than watch as the beautiful planet was reduced to a mere shadow of what it had been. Just like mine. She could predict the future too, well sort of. She dreamt, and what she dreamt was real. What she dreamt was what was to happen. She knew the rules said that she wasn't allowed to interfere with what was to be, but she couldn't just sit back and let something so horrible happen. Which was what brought her here, to Namek, to find the dragonballs and hide them from she who was born of no mother, she who would steal the balls and use them to destroy the multiverse and every dimension and being along with it, she who was called The Maiden of Ravens. Aesana had snuck away. She opened her eyes and set off toward her destination.
Trunks gazed at the time machine. The day had finally arrived. He would rather have taken his mother with him, but this was what she wanted. The android was taking too long. Its not as if she had any clothes to take with her. She finally exited the house and they boarded the time machine together. "What took you so long?" "I was saying goodbye to your mother." "Goodbye?" "I know what she told you to do. I'm sad because I'll miss her, but it's for the best I suppose. Its not like anyone here will miss me anyway." She turned her head to stare out the window. They rose into the air and disappeared. ************************************************************************ 18 looked outside the ship. The terrible wrenching motion had finally stopped. She turned to trunks, "where are we?" "New Namek" "That quickly?" "The Nameks chose a planet that wasn't as far from Earth as their original home had been, and technology has advanced." 18 stared around as they exited the ship and Trunks encapsulated it. They were in the wilderness. It was beautiful there. She had never taken time to appreciate beauty except in herself. "Come on." Trunks said roughly and launched himself into the sky. He still hates me, she thought and caught up to him. "where are we going?" "To find a better spot for the capsule house, it's too windy and not level enough here." He ignored her and sped on as she silently followed. ************************************************************************ The palace was on fire, a young man was running through the halls clutching tightly to a little girl's hand. "Come on Sana! We have to hurry!" "No wait! Where's Mes?!" "Don't worry Sana, Serit will find him. Come on we have to go!" He scooped her up into his arms and continued to run. All around him walls were collapsing, evidence of the battle going on outside. He finally arrived at a corridor. Sounds could be heard outside; the enemy would soon be upon them. He sat the girl down on the floor and pointed down the corridor. "The soldiers will be here soon. Listen to me Sana. Go straight down this hall. Run as fast as you can and don't stop for anything! At the end you'll see a space pod. Get in it and close the door. You remember what button I told you to push?" She sniffed and nodded, "the white one with the blue star." "Good. Push that button; the pod will take you out of here. Don't worry; it's all planned out. You'll be safe." Her brows furrowed. "What about you? Aren't you coming with me?!" He knelt down and pulled her into his arms, hugging her close. "No Sana, I can't go with you this time." He released her and pulled the strap that held his sword and scabbard over his head, and pushed them into her hands. "I want you to keep these for me. Promise me you'll keep them until I come to get them." Tears were streaming down the little girl's face. "But Lokil-" "Promise me!" he said more urgently "I promise!" she sobbed. He hugged her again and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry." He smiled " When this is over it'll all just be one bad dream. Hey, I'll even play dolls with you ok?" She nodded and continued to cry. "You have to be brave little fighter." He said, "be brave and remember, I love you." He hugged her one last time and pushed her in the direction of the hall. "Go" The girl nodded tearfully. She turned, clutching the sword against her, and ran toward the pod. The young man turned back and waited to face the oncoming soldiers.
Aesana stared at the sky. Her short, tan, skin-like fur bristled against the wind. A few strands of her long dark green hair managed to pull free of the braid that trapped them and fell into her face. She touched the hilt of the sword that hung at her side. Remembering the young man that had given it to her. I have taken great care of your sword as I promised Lokil. When will you come to claim it? I miss you and the others so much. I promised to keep your sword until you came for it but.you won't. You're gone and I miss you so much. She wiped away a tear and shaded her eyes peering of into the horizon. She was finally here. She only hoped they would listen. She wanted to save this planet, needed to save this planet. For her brothers. Aesana could remember sitting in the Great Hall at the Watcher's Keep on Fayilon with her mother as a little girl. Her mother used to tell her great stories of the Graedel, her people. She and Mother had been the only Graedel left. The rest were dead. Aesana remembered little of her world but she did have some distant memories and Mother's stories. It had been filled with flowers, a warm tropical paradise from out of a storybook. Trees everywhere and most animals were friendly toward the Graedel. Graedeserie, it had been called. If you got up early enough in the morning, you could hear the lark-angels sing to wake the sun. Fayilon did not have any lark-angels, or trees, or flowers. Nothing grew on Fayilon where the Watchers lived. Even so, Aesana and her mother had made the best of it, until Mo'byere got worse in Mother. She had gotten the disease during "The Great Breaking" when Graedeserie was destroyed and the two of them had fled. Toxic chemicals had been released from the planet's core causing her to contract Mo'byere (the strangling death). It killed her. When her mother died, Aesana stayed with the Watchers and became a Watcher. She closed her eyes. A Watcher. Watchers saw the planets without actually seeing them. True to their name they watched and kept records of historic, but never interfered. The stream of time flows as it will, destroying and creating, as it must. At 19 she was the youngest of the Watchers. Some Watchers took to watching a particular planet. Of course, since there were only 14 Watchers most Watchers took more than one. Aesana only had one planet. Earth. She had chosen this planet partly because no one else had, and partly because it reminded her of Graedeserie with all the green things it had had. More than the actual planet she watched the people. Earth people interested her. Aesana had seen the earth when it was attacked by the saijins, when some of the group had gone to Namek, and finally when the androids and had come. She cried at that thought, so many lives had been lost, and what made it worse was that she could do no more than watch as the beautiful planet was reduced to a mere shadow of what it had been. Just like mine. She could predict the future too, well sort of. She dreamt, and what she dreamt was real. What she dreamt was what was to happen. She knew the rules said that she wasn't allowed to interfere with what was to be, but she couldn't just sit back and let something so horrible happen. Which was what brought her here, to Namek, to find the dragonballs and hide them from she who was born of no mother, she who would steal the balls and use them to destroy the multiverse and every dimension and being along with it, she who was called The Maiden of Ravens. Aesana had snuck away. She opened her eyes and set off toward her destination.