Just when you think you know all the answers, something comes along and changes the questions.
Like Vegeta. The proud Saiyan prince who used the Earth's Moon against Teena to transform into a behemoth to gain the upper hand against Earth's champion.
Like Krillin. The former Orin Temple monk who had given his life to buy Teena and her friends enough time to sever Vegeta's tail from his body, the tail being the source of Vegeta's transformation.
Like Teena. Adapting to Vegeta's power level, then using a variation of the Spirit Bomb not even King Kai could ever conceive... the Angelic Spirit Nova... to seemingly defeat Vegeta. But as Teena passed out from the huge amounts of energy she expended, Vegeta survived.
But the biggest shock of all, no one could ever expect, as Vegeta was about to squeeze the life from Videl's body, came in the form of a woman long dead, somehow back in the world of the living to keep a promise that should have been broken...
THE 18TH
"Default Judgement Pt. 3
By
Ken Blackwell
"... c... celipa..." Videl stared up at her long-dead mentor in a state of disbelief. Finally she reacted physically, wrapping her arms around Celipa's waist tightly and hugging her. "H-how--?! T-Taanipu told me... y-you..."
"I had a promise to keep," answered Celipa. "I'll explain in full later. Now go help your friends. I'll take things from here." She looked down at Videl and smiled, ruffling her hair. "I saw you fight, by the way. You did well, little one."
Videl smiled brightly at the praise Celipa had given her, then rushed towards the severely injured Mai, Senzu beans ready. Celipa glanced at Videl with a small hint of pride in her heart, then looked over to Vegeta, nodding to him out of royal respect.
"My prince..." she addressed. "You... look pretty trashed."
"And YOU'RE supposed to be dead!" spat Vegeta. "You and your crew... slain by a horde of Meetians! A truly pathetic way to die..."
"Was that the story Frieza told you, my liege? Come now... we may've been low-levels at the time but not even the people from planet Meet could slow us down. It was Dodoria who killed us."
Vegeta blinked, but only showed a hint of surprise. "What...?!"
"We were set up. ALL of us..." Celipa explained. "I don't know what Frieza told you about our world, but the truth is... Frieza himself destroyed planet Vegeta! And our entire race!"
"..." Vegeta stared at Celipa blankly.
"Frieza's scared of our power... we were increasing our numbers, taking our places as powerful warriors. So he committed wholesale genocide on us!! My prince... there's no need to waste time on Earth! And you're in no further shape to fight right now, you're barely able to stand! We should contact Lady Aise, she can--"
"Don't get me wrong, Celipa..." Vegeta muttered with a tired smirk. "I could care less about our planet, my fellow Saiyans, OR my parents. And I despise Aise as much as Frieza. In any case I was just angry at myself for a moment for letting myself be used by those bastards! I'll deal with with them all personally... but first, I'll finish my current endeavors. Step away, Celipa... so I can finish off the humans."
Celipa sighed softly, and responded flatly to Vegeta's command. "NO."
"Disobeying your superior, Celipa?" Vegeta scoffed. "Not an... intelligent decision."
"I made a promise long ago, my liege..." Celipa explained. "I broke out of Hell itself, risked eternal damnation, to get here. No one, not even you, is going to make me break my promise."
"Loyal, if not stupid... you're still a low-level, however. And even an infinite number of low-levels are no match for one of the elite."
"So we're really going to do this..." Celipa quickly assumed her battle stance.
"When I was but a boy, I developed quite the crush on you, Celipa..." Vegeta grinned darkly. "... but I grew out of it. So die. Just DIE!!"
Vegeta suddenly threw his arms out ad let loose with an explosive force of energy that sent Celipa staggering back
Rewind.
"I had a promise to keep," answered Celipa. "I'll explain in full later. Now go help your friends. I'll take things from here." She looked down at Videl and smiled, ruffling her hair. "I saw you fight, by the way. You did well, little one."
Videl smiled brightly at the praise Celipa had given her, then rushed towards the severely injured Mai, Senzu beans ready. Dropping to her knees she gingerly raised Mai's head up and placed the Senzu in her mouth. "Mai... please eat this, you'll get better...!"
Instinctively Mai managed to bite into it, chewing and swallowing it. Almost instantaneously the paralyzing damage to her spine healed and all her injuries became a lingering memory. She sat up in shock, eyes wide. "Wha--?!"
"Easy, you're okay, now..." Videl advised. "I gave you a Senzu bean so now you're all healed."
"Ahh... that would explain the feeling I have back in my legs..." Mai stood up. "... Teena! She... she had wings--!"
"I know... the ultimate attack Bulma told me about. Teena's okay, but she's recharging right now. C'mon, we have to get to Chi-Chi, she needs Senzu, too! We'll use the batch she has!"
"... she has...?"
"Yes! Remember? Teena gave each of us three Senzu just in case!"
"... oh..." Mai shrugged. "How was I to know they could heal? I thought they were just beans so I threw mine out..." she sweatdropped. "... beans normally give me bad gas..."
"... uh..." Videl blinked. ".. well, you ARE new to this. Whatever, come on! Chi-Chi needs us!" The two quickly rushed to the princess in question; Chi-Chi was doubled over, coughing up blood and in severe suffering.
"Oh God... this doesn't look too good..." Mai said with considerable dread.
"Don't complain about it! Do something!" Videl dropped down, pulling out the small pouch of Chi-Chi's Senzu from a hidden pocket within her sash, and placed it in Chi-Chi's mouth, but she coughed it out with more blood, whimpering in agony, tears falling from her eyes. "No.. her body must be too badly hurt for her to even TRY to eat anything!! She... she's dying...!"
"No way... nobody else is going to die!" Bulma vowed. "Mai, quick! Cycle through the medical programs and click on the syringe icon!"
"Okay..." Mai closed her exposed eye, looking through the slightly cracked optical sensor of the Weapon Battlesuit and the on-board computer. "Here it is!" And a panel opened up in the left gauntlet, panels shifting, components assembling, to form a hi-tech syringe, complete with a medically sanitized needle.
"Now crush one of the Senzu and place it in the syringe tube compartment! And inject the Senzu directly into her bloodstream!"
"Are you sure that'll work?!" asked Videl.
"Truthfully? I got no clue! But it's better than watching Chi-Chi die, so give her the damn shot already!!"
Videl and Mai both blinked, and then quickly acted; Videl held Chi-Chi down as Mai crushed a Senzu and placed the crumbs into the tube, then grabbed her arm and slid the needle into a major vein, injecting the Senzu into her. Almost immediately Chi-Chi's body stiffened, a sharp gasp drawn into her lungs as her eyes were wide open. Then she went limp.
"... great, we killed her..." Mai dreaded.
Chi-Chi suddenly sat up, a look of surprise on her face. She looked to the shocked and relieved expressions on Mai and Videl's faces, then at her arm, where Mai had injected the Senzu.
"... that was a rush..." Chi-Chi remarked.
Suddenly the three were blown back by an explosive force of energy created by Vegeta, scattered away from one another
Vegeta stood within a crater than spanned a good 50 feet in radius. Panting heavily, he glanced around, seeing the prone bodies of Videl, Teena, Mai, and Chi-Chi. Knowing that they survived.
"Wh-what's... wrong with me...?" he asked himself. "They... sh-should all be... dead..." he then paused. "Wait, where's--"
He was abruptly struck hard in the jaw by Celipa, who had swooped down from the sky to meet the battle-weary Saiyan prince in combat. She dropped to her feet, then drew her hands back--
"VENGEANCE MISSILE!!"
--firing off a twin energy blast, a single projectile with a larger one spinning about it like a top. Vegeta quickly dodged the energy blast, only to be struck hard in the gut by a body blow from the female Saiyan, setting him up to be locked into a full nelson, taken a good ten feet into the air as she rained multiple knees into his kidneys, then slammed back down to the ground, embedding him there.
"Really now..." Celipa flew back a few feet from Vegeta. "Saiyan prince or not... elite or not, it's still not much fun beating down a half-dead opponent. I might as well finish you off..." Celipa then glanced up at the sky, and smiled as her eyes began to glow a bright red. "Oh, look... someone left the full moon out for me!"
"W-what?!" Vegeta staggered up, eyes wide as he saw the full moon triggering Celipa's transformation. "N-no... you won't transform... not without the full moon!!" Vegeta threw his hand forward, drawing forth enough energy in an attempt to blow up the Moon.
"No! He'll screw up the tides on Earth if he blows up the Moon!" Bulma shouted. "Someone! ANYONE, STOP HIM!!"
"On it!" Videl got up to one knee, flying at Vegeta like a bullet, spearing him in the midsection and causing the shot to go wide, missing the Moon entirely.
"Insufferable brat!!" Vegeta hastily seized Videl by the back of her shirt and tossed her upward by only several inches from him. And in an instant that felt like forever, Vegeta drove his fist down into Videl's neck vertebrae.
The shattering of her bones could be heard by everyone conscious. And Videl collapsed to the ground, body twitching in death spasms, eyes wide open, but sightless.
"... videl..." Chi-Chi gasped.
"... no, God no... not her..." Bulma pleaded. "... she's just a child, please God... she can't be dead..."
"... that monster--!!" Mai cursed.
"VEGETAAA!!!!"
The Saiyan prince paused, looking up from Videl's twitching body to see the thirty foot tall Giant Ape clad in Celipa's attire, halo over its head, tears falling from its eyes as it snarled angrily.
"That was the LAST life you'll EVER take!!" screamed Celipa. "I'LL KILL YOU!!!!"
The afterlife.
"Quite the serious infraction..." Lord Enma noted, as he looked over his paperwork, a singular file at his desk. "We have a rogue soul on Earth... a Saiyan warrior named Celipa. Charged with numerous counts of genocide all across the galaxy and sentenced to Hell accordingly. Strange... she never contested the sentence, and was well-behaved for twenty-three years... then she just suddenly broke out!"
"How is that possible, milord?" a voice asked from a shadow in the corner.
"She had help, of course..." Enma answered. "It seems her fellow crew members in life... what were their names... oh, yes... Bardock, Toma, Panboukin, and Totepo... they used their combined powers to open a rift large enough for Celipa to escape from. Here's the interesting part... once she got to Snake Way from there, she came in contact with someone, and then she was on Earth. Just like that." Enma glanced from the file, to the shadow. "Now then, does that sound familiar to you?"
"Teleportation..." the voice confirmed, as the source of the voice emerged from the shadows... a figure dressed in crimson robes and cloak, all with gold trims and in Chinese origins, the face obscured by a hood. "Only a handful of people here know of the technique. But I can recollect one who is in direct relation to the offender."
"Indeed. Whatever his reason, he's helped a felon from Hell escape to Earth... it's like the Insurrection all over again, but at least it's only one escapee this time. So I can afford to send you... the fifth Lawgiver of the Shi-Tien Yen-Wang... to Earth to retrieve her. That is your only mission, though. Don't try to harm anyone there, and try not to kill the target. If she dies while still dead she ceases to exist and that's even MORE paperwork for me."
"It shall be done, milord..." And with that, the Lawgiver turned on a heel and walked away, exiting the checkpoint.
"... I never thought I would obtain the help from the Shi-Tien Yen-Wang again... after so many millennia..." Enma said to himself. "... these must be hard times indeed..."
Planet Aise Prime.
Aise sat silently in her glass throne, furrowing her chin as she waited for the Kanassan oracles' response; the reptilian trio dressed in white ceremonial robes, survivors of the massacre of their world, were invaluable to the benevolent ruler for their powers of precognition and their sagely advice. By Aise's side were three female warriors clad in the traditional undersuits and battle jackets notable of not only Aise's troops, but the troops of her brothers, Frieza and Cooler, as well; two were identical twins, with short dark green hair and lighter green skin, resembling true mirror images of each other, wearing single shouldered battle jackets... one twin with a left shoulder strap, the other with a right. The other warrior woman had long white hair tied in a braid and red skin, twin swords adorning her back.
"Gah... why're they takin' so bloody long?" the crimson-hued woman asked in annoyance.
"Because this is important, Surees..." one of the twins answered. "Now shush," the other twin scolded, before both said. "Let them concentrate."
"... Lady Aise..." the Kanassan oracle in the middle rose his head. "All we can see is what we predicted what would be on the planet Earth. Saiyan versus Saiyan. The dead on the plane of the living. And death."
"Well, THAT'S bleedin' cryptic..." Surees crossed her arms, still slightly annoyed.
"Surees..." Aise smirked at her, then looked to the oracles. "We do know from surveillance reports that Vegeta and Nappa went to Earth after Raditz was killed, to take advantage of Earth's power spheres, called Dragon Balls by the inhabitants there. I suspected Frieza would take advantage of planet Namek's power spheres, which is why I sent warriors there to protect the Namekians."
"But surely they can't possibly" "handle the likes of your own brother..."
"... I know, Estro... Gen..." Aise looked to the twins sadly. "I know they're strong enough to at least hold their own with the likes of Dodoria or Zarbon... but Frieza..." she lowered her head. "... I feel as if I sent them there to die. It makes my hearts break with sadness."
Surees placed a hand on Aise's shoulder. "Ay, you want me t'head to Namek to give 'em a hand, Lady Aise?"
"... no..." Aise shook her head. "It would surely kill me. AND your brother, if you were killed." She looked to the oracles once more. "I seek your wisdom... what would be the best course of action in light of this?"
The trio of Kanassans paused for a good long moment, looking into possible futures, until the third, a female, spoke up. "Go to Earth. Gain the trust of its remaining heroes, especially its champion... one with a number for a name... she will be your greatest ally. From there, all should go to planet Namek. The rest of the future is unclear..."
"Sounds good..." Aise stood up from her throne. "Estro, Gen. Surees. We leave at once for Earth. Prepare the necessary crewmen and head for the mothership, and we'll leave the Princesses in command while we're gone."
"Yes, milady!" Both twins replied.
"Let's do this!" smiled Surees.
"Time is of the essence, my friends..." Aise stated as the four women exited the throne room. "Hopefully... things can't possibly get any worse now!"
Rewind.
"... things can't possibly get any worse now..." Bulma muttered off-mic, staring at Videl's twitching form on the ground. "... Videl... God, Videl..."
Teena's eyes snapped open. With a moan she sat up, brushing her hair back as she sighed softly. "I gotta figure a way around not passing out after I do that, it's annoying..." she turned her head to see what was going on, spying Vegeta avoiding attacks from ANOTHER Saiyan transformed into a Giant Ape, and she blinked out of confusion. "I missed something important. And me without a rewind button."
Then she spotted Videl's body, random spasms rocking her body.
"... no..." Quickly Teena flew to Videl's side, her action catching the attentions of her friends.
"Teena's awake!" shouted Bulma.
Chi-Chi and Mai both struggled to their feet, going to Teena as she checked on Videl. "... Teena..." Mai spoke. "... is Videl..."
"She's barely hanging on..." Teena confirmed. "I need a Senzu, now!"
"Here!" Chi-Chi handed her one of her Senzu beans, and Teena gingerly placed it into Videl's mouth.
"Hold on, girl... I'll help you..." Forgoing the chewing Teena everso gently massaged Videl's throat, careful in not causing any more damage to her neck as she forced the dying child to swallow the Senzu. And almost immediately the Senzu took effect, Videl gasping for air as she sat up.
"... neck's still stiff..." Videl rubbed the soreness away as best she can, then looked to a relieved Teena. "... hey."
"Hey, yourself..." Teena hugged Videl tightly, sighing in deep relief. "God, girl... I'm so sorry... I nearly got you killed... Videl, please forgive me..."
"It's okay..." Videl hugged back. "I'm still alive, right?"
"... yeah..." Teena sighed once more, then looked to Vegeta and the Giant Ape. "... what's with the extra monkey?"
"That's Celipa..." answered Videl. "... she kept her promise."
"Isn't she supposed to be dead, though?" Chi-Chi wondered. "... twenty-three years dead?"
"Zombie monkey?" Mai queried.
"No, she's not all rotted and Romeroish..." Teena observed. "She may need a little help, though. Stay here, guys! Time to go spank the monkey!" She paused. "... uh... the male one. And, uh... I'm just... kinda digging a deeper hole here, aren't I?"
"Pretty much," Chi-Chi answered.
"Yeah," added Mai.
"... right." Teena sighed, then rocketed forward towards the battle between the two Saiyans.
"DIE, YOU BASTARD!!" Celipa screamed, as she swatted Vegeta down, but the Saiyan prince quickly got up from it, sprinting from Celipa, ignoring the pain of his injuries, and dodging blows from her. Leaping into the air, he dropkicked her in the face, causing her to stagger back, setting her up for a barrage of energy blasts, hitting her square in the head and torso. As dust surrounded the area Vegeta slumped back, panting tiredly.
If I weren't so wounded... cursed Vegeta. I don't have enough time to... destroy the moon, so I-I've got to cut her tail off...!! Generating an energy disc from his hand, he prepared to fling the attack directly at Celipa's tail the moment she emerged from the dust cloud.
Until he was kicked in the face by Teena, knocked a good ten feet away.
"No fair stealing our moves..." Teena penalized. "You don't see ME using your Garlic Gun or whatever."
"You must be Teena, aren't you?"
Teena blinked as she heard the baritone, growling voice behind her, and turned to see Celipa loom down at her. "... And you're Celipa," Teena replied. "Nice to finally meet you, though you're bigger and hairier than advertized."
Celipa smirked. "Videl was right. You have a dry wit about you..." she paused, sighing sadly. "... Videl..."
"Don't worry, she's okay. We got to her in time..." Teena assured Celipa. "C'mon, Vegeta's not done yet. What say we team up on him?"
Celipa smiled. "I can work with that."
"All right, monkey girl... let's go ape." Both Teena and Celipa focused their gazes on Vegeta as he staggered to his feet, and as he noticed the unwanted attention he was getting, his eyes widened.
"D-damn it all--!!" he cursed.
Teena was the first to get to Vegeta, and though Vegeta managed to meet her advance with a forearm shot Teena blocked it, retaliating with a sweep to the legs. With her unmatched speed she seized his ankle in mid-air and swung him around, flinging him to Celipa, rampaging at Vegeta with all the subtlety of an enraged rhino. Vegeta felt a senses-shattering backhand from the Giant Ape, knocked back towards Teena, who swung a kick out and caught his left arm.
Snapping it like a tree branch.
Vegeta screamed in agony as he grasped his useless broken arm, and Teena flew back, for a split instant giving reprieve. ... there's that deja vuness again...
"IDIOT!!" Vegeta quickly generated the energy disc with his good arm, flinging it directly at Teena, the arm straight and true to take the cyborg's head from her shoulders.
"LOOK OUT!!" But Celipa pushed Teena away to safety, twisting around in time for her tail to be hacked from her body. "... d-dammit--!"
"At least... I cut YOU down to... size, traitor..." Vegeta scoffed, as Celipa began to revert back to her humanoid form. Celipa glanced down at her shrinking form, and then at Teena, who stood up to witness Celipa's change.
"... five seconds left," Celipa growled.
Celipa suddenly flung himself at Vegeta while she was still gargantuan enough to be a dire threat. Vegeta gasped out, unable to move from such a huge obstacle.
And the end result was similar to a fly being hit by a freight train.
Celipa landed on top of Vegeta, crushing him under her shrinking girth. Then vaulted off of him with her hands, landing to her feet fully transformed back to her humanoid form.
"There... that should do--" Celipa blinked, tipping over and falling flat on her face unceremoniously. "... ow."
"Celipa!" Videl shouted, as she and Teena flew to the female Saiyan's side, as did Mai and Chi-Chi. "Wow, that was cool, the way you flattened Vegeta!" she praised.
"Uh, you gonna be okay?" asked Teena. "The way you kinda tipped over and all..."
"Yeah... my balance's just thrown off-kilter, is all..." Celipa said. "... he cut my tail off... bastard cut my tail off..."
"Don't worry... I'm sure Bulma can get the best doctors to re-attach it," assured Videl.
"... no way..." Mai blinked, seeing Vegeta very slowly move, pulling some kind of remote from under his cracked and ruined armor. "... what is he made of...?!"
"... can't ANYTHING kill him...?!" exclaimed Chi-Chi.
Vegeta typed a single command, then collapsed, exhausted and injured, unable to fight a moment more. "... never... never before... have I had to retreat..." Vegeta scowled. "... d... damn it all..."
"Look!" Videl pointed up as a singular spherical spacecraft floated down, landing several feet from Vegeta. "It's a space pod... Vegeta's retreating!"
"Good. Let him go, then..." Teena said. "Least he knows better, now... he won't make trouble on Earth ever again."
"... Teena..." Celipa shook her head. "That's just wishful thinking..."
Videl nodded sadly. "Vegeta WILL come back... he's not gonna let this defeat go past him."
"There's more..." Celipa added. "We Saiyans are born warriors. The more we battle, the stronger we grow. And the stronger the opponent, the more power we gain."
"... say what...?" Teena blinked.
"I'd... listen to them..." Vegeta whispered, slumping into the space pod. "N... next time, little girls... there won't be... any miracles..." he smirked evilly at Teena as the pod began to close shut. "Enjoy your lives... while you can..." The pod closed shut, vibrating silently, then rocketed upward into the sky.
"... Teena...?" Videl looked up at her, seeing her visible disappointment, her head lowered, bangs obscuring her eyes. "Teena, I--"
"... next time..." Teena repeated, as she raised her head to the sky.
"... damn her... damn them both..." Vegeta growled as the space pod left Earth's atmosphere. "The puppet AND the traitor... I'll make them regret they... ever let me live...!!"
Teena suddenly flew up, face-to-face with a surprised Vegeta, Razor Discs igniting, spinning within her palms.
"..." Vegeta glared at her with his good eye, realizing what was to come next. Then with rage in his heart, he screamed out in anger
Rewind.
"... next time..." Teena repeated, as she raised her head to the sky. "... SCREW THAT NOISE."
And Teena exploded from the ground, shooting up towards the sky. A split second later, the sky lit up with a small explosion. Celipa's eyes were wide when she realized what Teena had done.
".. she killed Vegeta..."
"... well... GOOD," Chi-Chi replied to Celipa. "He deserved it. He killed our friends... him and that oaf of his... threatened to kill everyone on Earth. No one's going to miss an evil bastard like him. Ever."
Bulma sat silent in her chair, then sighed softly. "... well, the danger's passed, at least... I'll contact the King and let him know it's safe to come back up now... uhm..." Bulma cocked her head. "... shouldn't Teena be coming down any time now?"
Teena floated in the sky. Curled up into a ball, trembling with emotion, face hidden as she wept.
The evil had been vanquished. Millions of lives saved. But at the cost of valued friends. Loved ones.
Puar.
Ran Fuan.
Tein.
Chiaotzu.
Piccolo.
Kami.
Krillin.
For an essentially immortal being like Teena, the loss of mortal friends... whether by natural causes or by other ways... was never easy for her. And with the Dragon Balls gone, unable to undo the tragedy that had occurred...
Teena hugged herself as that realization set in, weeping heavier in emotion-wounded agony.
Sure, it was easy to hide it behind a wisecrack or the sense of duty Teena had to endure. But now that it was done, Teena had let go with her emotions, letting it all fall from her like a cascading waterfall.
Teena knew the truth... virtual immortality was never a gift.
It was a curse.
The next day.
"So, what the overall status on everything, Bulma?" Teena asked, as the two women walked down the hallways of Capsule Corp.
"Well, East City is... well, it doesn't really exist anymore," Bulma replied. "There's nothing left, not even ruins. It's gonna take years... decades even, to rebuild everything. But the main thing is that there were absolutely no casualties there thanks to the S.A.F.E. Houses. Last I heard the East City residents moved in with friends and family all over, so that's good at least. The only real casualties through this were... well, the four guards Nineteen killed in World City. Plus... well, the others..."
"I see..." Teena sighed softly, turning away towards their destination, one of the many conference rooms in Capsule Corp.
"I have the bodies stored in Dynocaps..." Bulma continued. "They're in a carrying case in my room right now... my very own portable morgue, yay me..." she sighed, shaking her head. "... sorry, gallows humor."
"It's okay..." Teena said.
"Guess we'll have to hold a funeral for them all sooner or later..."
"Hold off on that... Chi-Chi asked for this meeting to address the Dragon Balls. Whatever Krillin told her, it had to have the big seal of importantness stamped on."
"Well, okay..." Bulma nodded, as the two reached the conference room. Entering the room, Teena and Bulma could see that Chi-Chi, Yamcha, Mai, Videl, and even Celipa were there. "Celipa... I didn't expect you to be out of the hospital this early."
"Eh, hospitals are no use to a dead woman..." Celipa shrugged. "Uhm, thanks for trying to re-attach my tail, by the way."
"Well, we tried..." Bulma stated. "But the severance points were cauterized. Re-attaching it was an impossibility."
"And I can't grow it back BECAUSE of the cauterizing..." Celipa sighed, looking behind her to the point where her tail would have began, grown from the base of her spine. "But at least you removed the stump, too... I can pass myself off as a human now... but I'm still going to miss having it around..."
"Okay... so, what's up?" asked Yamcha. "Why're we here?"
"Chi-Chi?" Teena looked to the Oriental princess. "On your soapbox, girl."
"Thanks..." Chi-Chi smiled, and stood up out of her chair. "... the Saiyans found out about the Dragon Balls and their wish-granting powers through Raditz's scouter... the one reason why they were here was to get the Dragon Balls. But they noticed Piccolo... they called him a 'Namekian.' They made it sound like he and Kami were originally aliens..."
"Namekians... on Earth, I see..." Celipa crossed her arms. "Now it makes sense why Nappa and Vegeta would bother with this planet."
"Then they said something else..." Chi-Chi continued. "Something along the lines of... 'it's true that there are globes that grant wishes on the planet Namek... if we don't get them here, we should just go there...'"
"... whoa... more Dragon Balls?!" Yamcha exclaimed.
"... yeah, that's right! I heard that too!" Videl confirmed.
"So... if we can find a way to get to this planet of the Nameks, we can find the Dragon Balls, and we can restore everyone back to life!" Chi-Chi concluded.
"... Piccolo would come back to life, too!" Mai realized.
"Ahh... and with him, Kami!" Teena smiled. "And OUR Dragon Balls would come back, too! Great plan, Chi-Chi!"
"Don't thank me, it was Krillin's idea..." Chi-Chi corrected.
"... so that's our one hope?" Bulma questioned. "Another planet? Uh... I don't mean to bust anyone's bubble but how are we even going to find out where this planet is?"
"Give me a crack at it..." Teena said. "I bet King Kai would know. Hell, he IS the Lord of Worlds, he's gotta know."
"Of course I know!" King Kai's disembodied voice echoed throughout the room.
"... uh..." Mai blinked. "Did I hear that just now?"
"We all did..." Chi-Chi confirmed.
"Well first, let me just say that you did very well, all of you!" King Kai praised. "Even you, Celipa... though I wonder if you're going to get in trouble for your actions getting here..."
"... Celipa...?" Videl looked up at her first mentor, who smiled sadly, mussing up Videl's hair.
"Whatever happens, happens..." Celipa replied. "I knew the consequences breaking out of Hell. But to save Videl's life I'd do it all over again."
"Hmm... well, death isn't normally my jurisdiction... but when you do get sent back, I'll speak on your behalf, of your bravery, to Lord Enma... maybe he'll show leniency and send you to Heaven for it."
"... no, I don't deserve it..." Celipa said softly. "I'm still a mass murderer, despite all the children I saved in life and despite what I did yesterday. I deserve no penance... the ruling against me was fair."
"... a shame..." King Kai sighed. "Still, it's your decision. Anyhow... the coordinates to planet Namek..." King Kai pulled out a sourcebook and looked through it. "Let's see... in Earth terms... it'd be bearing SU83... 9045YX..."
"..." Bulma blinked, a look of surprise on her face. "... no way..." Quickly she took a calculator from a table and began her computations. "If my calculations are on the dot..."
"The planet Namek was once a paradise," King Kai recalled. "But it suffered a climatic cataclysm a long time ago. Many Namekians died out, but if I'm not mistaken, they survived... about a hundred of them, I believe."
"... a hundred Piccolos..." Mai blinked. "... eep..."
"Don't worry. Namekians are mostly a peaceful race, just like Kami of Earth was. The Demon King Piccolo was most likely corrupted by the malicious humans he met along the way."
"Guys... just finished the calculations..." Bulma announced. "I figured the time it'd take to reach Namek with the fastest engine my dad's made, which would be the fastest in the world. Anybody want to take a guess?"
"... I know," Teena answered. "But... I'll let you read it out since you're the super-genius and I'm just the biomechanical cyborg with the turbo-charged brain."
Bulma stuck her tongue out at Teena playfully, then looked at the LED readout on the calculator. "... Okay, it's going to be... four thousand three hundred thirty-nine years and three months getting there. Hope nobody's in a hurry..."
"Yep, that's about right..." Teena sighed, leaning back in her chair. "So, how're we gonna figure this out?"
"If I had a working scouter I could call Lady Aise..." Celipa said. "She'd be more than happy to help."
"Hey, wait! What about Nappa's space pod!" Videl suggested.
"Hey, that's a good idea!" Bulma smiled. "I think we have it back at Capsule Corp! We must've extracted it from East City by now! If we can analyze it, maybe we can use it!"
"You'll need the remote..." Celipa reached into her battle jacket and pulled it out. "Lucky for you guys I got this from Vegeta. And I can read the language on it. Don't want you to accidentally self-destruct the pod, right?"
"... w-we can do it, then...!" Bulma said happily. "Celipa... you understand the technology better than I do, can you help me?"
"I'd be happy to," answered Celipa.
"Hope at last..." Chi-Chi smiled, and she looked to Teena. "Feeling better now?"
"I'll feel oodles of better after we get the gang all back together..." Teena smiled back. "... but I'm getting there."
TO BE CONTINUED.