~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chapter 6~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First Meetings
Gohan snapped out of his meditation as he heard the door opening. He had been awake for what he guessed to be 2 ½ hours, and he'd wondered when they would come back… Press the advantage… Don't wait for it to attack you, attack it first. When you have it at your mercy, only then do you ask it questions. That's what Piccolo-san would say, and Vegeta-san too. The door clicked shut again, and Gohan didn't wait until the lights finished coming on. He leapt at the new ki, using the darkness and surprise to his advantage. To his annoyance, the light came on before he'd reached the creature and it managed to leap away before he could properly attack. Without pausing, he lunged again, taking stock of the way the alien moved, the way it seemed to be relying on speed to keep it out of his grasp… He chased it a few more times before it leapt to the floor and yelled at him.
"Hey watch it! What the hell do you think you're doing?! Fucking little punk… Show it kindness and it bites me in the ass."
He stopped in midair and stared in confusion as the creature again leapt away from his perceived line of attack. Kindness? Was it saying that it didn't mean any harm? Still wary in the extreme, Gohan lowered himself to the ground, then cast about quickly for the appropriate way to frame his questions. Finally he decided that he'd better apologize to it - he had attacked, after all. Executing a quick bow, he was looking the creature in the eye again before it had a chance to attack his unguarded back.
"Gomen nasai." He said softly in Japanese, before remembering that it probably couldn't understand him. "I'm sorry." He repeated, carefully annunciating the words of the Universal language. "I did not know if you were friend or foe - I've had terrible luck with all the aliens I've ever met."
The creature stared at him, mouth slightly agape. Seeing no forthcoming response, he continued on nervously. "My name is Son Gohan. I am from Chikuu-sei."
Kitten blinked a few times. Alright, this thing was weird! First it chased her, then it bowed, and then it said something in a different tongue, only to correct itself and apologize in proper Universal. When it went on to state that it was from Chikuu-sei, Kitten got even more confused. She made a point of knowing just about everything there was to know about the planets in the Northern Quadrant where they usually did business - she knew that Chikuu-sei was a backwater planet without space travel, completely harmless and no threat at all to anyone. A scan of the planet from The Cold Empire, done some 40 years back, showed that creatures with meager kis that rarely topped 5 - though there were warriors who'd pulled their kis into the 100s - inhabited it. Still, it wasn't even a fraction of the power at Kitten's disposal, and she was the weakest member of the Faceless Ones. So if this thing - a male child if she remembered Chikuu-jin anatomy correctly - was from there, why was his ki so high? It made no sense at all…
There was only one thing for it - a proper introduction, then a visit to Hali and the others right away. "Alright Chikuu-jin, my name is Kitten. If you don't mind, I'll take you to see the rest of the crew so that we can decide what to do with you."
An array of emotions passed over Gohan's face at that. What did she mean 'decide what to do with him?' A quick scan of her ki revealed her to be lower than him when he was fully powered up, but if the 'others' were as strong or stronger, then he would have no chance at all. But… he really didn't have much of a choice. It was either go along peacefully or fight with this one and suffer who knows what from whoever else might be around. In fact, it might be best to see if he could fish out some useful information now - such as where the hell he was.
He nodded slowly to show an inclination to obey, but stayed where he was regardless. "Can you tell me where I am, please? And why I am here?"
She smiled at him, teeth glinting pale white against ice blue skin. "You are on the ship of the Faceless Ones. We'll be landing on a planet in about an hour, and you're here because I took pity on a dying brat on that sweltering excuse for a planet back there."
Another slow nod from Gohan, and a short bow. "Thank you, then. It appears I owe you a debt." Outside he was calm, but inside he was immensely worried. From his talks with Vegeta and Piccolo, some people held debts - especially life debts - to be sacred. Saiya-jin culture, for example, stated that such debts were to be avoided at all costs because once incurred they could never be fully repaid until you returned the favor. Nameks, however, viewed saving a life as their duty, and thus believed the only debt incurred was the obligation to do the same for others.
The girl surprised him out of his thoughts with a light laugh. "Na, it wasn't anything. If your culture does the debt thing, consider me repaid if you come along without a fuss and don't try to kill anyone."
He gave her the small smile that she seemed to expect, though inside he was confused and more than a bit relieved. Well then, there's the solution to one of my problems… Now to attend to the rest of them. She set off through the hallway, and he followed her silently.
Kitten was smiling as she led the boy out into the rest of the ship. As long as he was willing to cooperate, this might even be fun! He had seemed willing enough to smile, at least… She would have him tell her his story when everyone was gathered together, so that no one would have to repeat it over and over again - that got tedious. Stopping only briefly to press an intercom button and inform everyone that their guest was awake and to get their asses into the common room, they made their way to the center room with its circle of black chairs.
"Have a seat." She told him with a smile, taking her own seat of preference. He settled uneasily into the chair that Dae usually claimed, looking very nervous about it all. "Ah, don't worry kid. We're not that bad." He looked at her with wide eyes as soon as she'd said 'kid,' and she immediately wondered what deeper meaning there was in that word for him. Maybe it was something bad, and she shouldn't be calling him that… but he was giving her a wry smile, so maybe it wasn't so heinous to be saying that. Ack, she should wait to analyze him until after she'd heard his story, at least…
Hali was the first one to enter the room, a silent, forbidding presence. She regarded the newcomer for a moment, eyes sweeping him up and down, coolly taking in the bloody remnants of the gi and the not quite healed wounds, before claiming the seat across from him. It wasn't the seat she usually sat in, but it was chosen with care so that, as leader, she would have the best vantage point to be studying the newcomer as he answered questions.
Next came the twins, both slightly out of breath, and it was obvious to Kitten that they'd just come up from the sparring grounds in the lower levels of the ship. They'd taken one look at the boy before submersing themselves in private, telepathic conversation. Ryl took his normal seat, and Sassy settled on the wide armrest, given that there wouldn't be enough seats for them all.
Xe came next, a dark, silent presence emerging from behind where Kitten sat. The child looked a bit nervous, but he was hiding it well - he didn't even flinch at the dark eyes boring holes in the back of his neck. Even when Xe sat down between Kitten and Hali, the kid didn't so much as blink. He simply regarded the Faelk-jin as one more addition to the group. Kitten had to admire him - unless he really had no clue about what Xe was he was the bravest sonuva bitch that she'd ever encountered. He was also smart. Instead of asking when he was expected to start talking, or what was going to happen now, he simply assumed that once the chairs were filled, he could begin.
Either that or he's waiting for us to speak first, she thought wryly as Dae made his way into the room. "I put the ship into orbit," he announced quietly. "We'll be ready to land as soon as we're done here." Hali gave him a brief nod as he took a seat beside the child, then turned her gaze on the boy, who was now fidgeting slightly in his seat.
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Lexi: Ack! Sorry for the long wait – I had a really big research project that I was working on, and I had no time for last minute editing and posting of this. *cries*
Kat: *rolls eyes* Well, maybe it would help if you gave me the password! Then they wouldn't have to wait so long!
Lexi: *stares at her wideeyed* Hells no! I've seen the way you've been eyeing some of my stories… I'd hate to think what would happen to them if you got control of my account. *shudders*
Kat: *stifles sigh* Well, it was worth a try… ^__^
Next Chaper: Story Time With Gohan! (Will be out Sunday at the very latest)
