Chapter Two
Andromeda more fun than I had first expected; I had only planned on staying a night or two. Here, a week had gone and I was still
there, helping Cable out as the bar got more crowded and more noisy. I was working as a bouncer of sorts; not that I had to fight anyone. One flare of my ki was enough to make most inebriated people scatter. I only saw Kyara once since our first encounter (if you could call it that). I saw her come flying into the docking bay as I left my ship after a brief call to my mother. Her spaceship resembled something of a fighter craft- like something you'd see in a science fiction movie. It was battered and came to a shuddering rest, giving one last pitiful whine as she cut it's engines. A mechanic rushed out to greet her.
"DAMN IT! You're a hell of a pilot- one of the best I've seen- how is it that you always manage to tear up your ship?!"
Kyara shrugged, "Ask the Ginyu fighter who attacked me... oh, wait... he's space dust."
The mechanic sighed in a defeated way, "I think I can fix it. B'lea is going to kill you."
"No he won't. He says he will, but deep down that man is a teddy bear."
"Yeah, a teddy bear with rocks for stuffing," the mechanic mumbled.
"Just get to work, Toji," she said, not in a commanding way, but in a more exasperated tone.
As she walked across the causeway, she looked at me, her face registering recognition. I started to wave, but another young man came running up to her, speaking frantically, making gestures with his hands. He pointed as she asked him something and she took off in a hover car, much like Capsule Corp. invented. The way she drove wasn't reckless- it was masochistic- swerving in and out of traffic at speeds high enough to demolish a small building on impact. In some strange way, it showed her talent. It was almost as though she anticipated the traffic's every move- she swerved around a car just before it slammed on its brakes, narrowly missing a deadly collision.
She was gone before I knew it- I'd have to remember to ask Cable about her. I headed back to the bar- it was on the opposite end of the main drag from the docking bays. I was surprised to see the car Kyara had climbed into there. I walked inside, immediately stepping on shattered glass. It crunched underneath my boot. I saw Cable sweeping up more glass, looking more angry than anything else. Kyara came out of the stockroom and looked around the bar room, grabbed a broom and started helping.
"Is it still there?" Cable asked quietly.
She nodded, "Yeah. We'll have to move it tonight. We don't want to cause you anymore trouble, Cable-san."
"What happened?" I asked, looking at the scattered remnants of what used to be bottles full of alcohol. The odor hung in the air, strong and pungent.
Cable shrugged, "Damn Ginyu. Came in here causing some trouble. Luckily Kyara and Gryff showed up before things got out of hand."
My next question was answered as a man stepped in from the back room, dusting his pants off. He was a man- tall and solidly built, with dirty golden hair that hung past his shoulders. His face gave the impression that he had been spliced with some kind of cat- he had cat eyes and a cat-like mouth. Kyara stopped sweeping to look at him.
"You all right, Gryff?"
He nodded, "Nothing I can't handle- yours is out cold- prolly won't even remember his name when he wakes up."
He looked at me, then back to Kyara and Cable, "You must be Trunks Briefs. B'lea's talked a bit about you."
I nodded, "Can I help?"
Gryff tossed me a broom and I began the process of sweeping up the broken glass. I watched, entranced as a table levitated, righted itself, then set back down on the floor. Cable clapped, but Gryff grumbled something that sounded like 'show off.' I've never been one to believe in the paranormal, much less the possibility of objects moving on their own. Somehow, seeing it twice changes your perspective on such matters. Okay, so this Kyara character had psychic powers. I would later learn that that was an understatement akin to saying Goku dabbled in the martial arts.
"Why are the Ginyu doing this? I thought they were all but gone," I said cautiously.
Gryff sighed, "Ever since Freeza and King Kold, then later, Kooler, were killed, they've been running amok. They have a tendency to destroy anything the come across. They fancy themselves space pirates, I guess. But still, they've destroyed entire planets."
"I didn't think they were that powerful."
Gryff shrugged, "It's all a matter of perception. Some are indeed stronger than others."
"So, what did they do to you?" I asked.
"They killed my family- my wife, my children. I barely survived."
I looked over at Kyara, who had become silent, "You?" I asked.
She propped her broom against the wall and walked out, saying nothing, but giving me the indication that I had just inserted my entire leg in my mouth without realizing it. Cable looked at me and sighed, sitting down on one of the barstools.
"Kyara-chan- she's not really friendly with either the Ginyu or the Saiya-jin. I'm sure that your father never told you this, but at one point and time, the strongest Saiya-jin were members of Freeza's Ginyu Force. It was Freeza's way of controlling what he saw as a potential threat. Well, Freeza sent a team of Saiya-jin Ginyu to Kyara's home planet to destroy it. She was the only survivor."
"I know that the Saiya-jin used to be nothing but ruthless murderers, but those of us left are on the good side."
"Still," Gryff said, "that's a hard hatred to break- put yourself in her shoes. You probably think no androids are to be trusted."
I shrugged, but realized that Gryff was probably right. I wouldn't trust any android at first. Still, if the Saiya-jin had destroyed her planet, how old was she? Planet Vegeta was destroyed, along with most of the race some forty or fifty years previously. She looked to be my age, but that couldn't be possible.
"H- how old is Kyara?" I asked.
Cable thought about it for a moment, "Let's see, in reality, I'd say about a hundred. But, her race only ages one year for every five standard years, so that'd make her about twenty or so physically. If I can remember anything about her race, she'd still be considered an adolescent. But, she's been forced to grow up really quickly. Then again, someone like you has the average maturity of a toddler of her race."
I chuckled, "We Saiya-jin have longevity like that, too. Gohan-san- a friend of mine, was about twenty five and still looked like he was fifteen."
Cable nodded, "That you do. You still look like a teenager, but you're what- twenty-six?"
I nodded and Gryff finished sweeping the floor, "Sorry about the mess, Cable-san. I'll go and help Kyara-san retrieve some new liquor from the supply depot tomorrow. Looks like you're out of business for the night, though."
Cable shrugged, "Story of my life. Damn Ginyu."
"Hey, at least you don't have to watch the fights tonight on TV."
"That's a good point," Cable nodded, noticing the look of curiosity on my face, "You don't know about the fights? Well, they're barbaric, it's true, but it's a form of entertainment. Kind of like wrestling on Earth, but much more dangerous. A guy like you could make some good money fighting, he could."
I shrugged, "I don't fight for money. Only for a good cause."
"What's a better cause than money, my boy?" Cable chuckled, throwing an arm around my shoulder.
"I can think of a few," I said, walking outside with him.
Cable shrugged, "That's true. Like the crew of the Aquarius. Fighting for a galaxy that's Ginyu-free. They're outnumbered five to one, but they still keep fighting. Surprised B'lea hasn't asked you to join up."
"Now where would he get the idea that I could fight?" I asked, smiling, "oh yeah... mom."
"Actually, no. He knows you're Saiya-jin and he knows that most Saiya-jin are good fighters."
I shrugged. No sense in letting anyone know more than they needed to. For instance, they probably already knew that I had defeated the androids, thanks to my mother. Still, I wasn't ready to commit to anything, let alone join a group of people who traveled all over space fighting the Ginyu Force.
I woke up the next morning to a scream - a shrill cry of pain and fear. Throwing aside my blankets, I hit the door and the stairs running, skipping the last few to land in a crouching position inside Cable's bar room. Someone dressed in a Ginyu uniform had Kyara pinned against the wall, his hand around her throat. Another lay unconscious on the floor, next to Cable, who was just then picking himself up. I knelt beside Cable, my hand on his elbow, helping the man up.
"You all right?" I asked.
He nodded, unable to find his voice. I looked to Kyara, who had seemed to have dropped unconscious. Summoning my strength, I launched myself at the Ginyu, only to have him thrown back at me in an explosion of force so violent it sent me flying across the room an into the wall. The Ginyu crumpled in front of me and I saw Kyara slide to the floor, panting, her hand at her neck, rubbing it gingerly. I stood, looking at her. She cursed, picking herself up off the floor.
"You okay?" I asked.
She nodded numbly, then collapsed. I don't know how I crossed the room in time to catch her, but somehow I did. Cable motioned for me to follow him. I did as he wanted, lying her gingerly on the bed in the back room. Once I had her set down, I looked at Cable and raised my eyebrows.
"What the hell was that? I didn't feel any ki, so she couldn't have-"
"But she did. Some races, Trunks-sama, don't need ki. Kyara certainly doesn't. I'd say that given the opportunity, she could do more damage than the strongest Saiya-jin. But, well, it takes a lot out of her. A little sleep and she'll be fine."
I followed Cable out of the room and closed the door as quietly as I could manage.
"What exactly is Kyara?" I asked.
Cable sighed, "No one knows but Kyara. But let me tell you this - she's not one to mess with, you hear me? B'lea and the rest of the crew are very protective of her."
"Does that include you?"
Cable set his towel down on the bar, "Damn right it does."
From the look he gave me, I had no choice but to take him seriously.