Author's Note: New scene plus major changes to old ones. This chapter is completely revised. The previous Pan/Marron conversation didn't fit at all with the later rivalry the two have.
Disclaimer: DB/DBZ/DBGT belong to Toriyama and other rich Japanese guys, not me.
A Brief Moment in Time
Chapter 13: That's my Daughter?
During the Parliamentary Meeting…
"This is Imperial Star Cruiser Vision. Unknown shuttle identify yourself or you will be fired upon," crackled the radio. It had only taken a few days for Pan and Trunks to reach Chikyuu from Sirrus Four. Trunks had spent most of the time taking it easy, and conserving energy. There just hadn't been enough food on the ship to feed two hungry Saiyans as well as Buu. He was now in a sad state of health, his metabolism was beginning to cannibalize his muscles. Both Pan and Buu had been concerned about him, but he feigned it off as illness. Only a few more hours, and then I can eat… as soon as I land on Chikyuu… mmmm… Steaks mmmmm… Chicken… mm. His eyes slowly drooped and he quietly slipped into sleep. It was the best way for him to conserve energy, not to mention that going hungry for so long made him extremely drowsy.
"Trunks?" Pan looked over at him worriedly. He had suddenly gotten ill over the short period of time that it took them to get to Chikyuu. It worried her that he slept so much. There hadn't been much that she could do on the way here, but she knew help could be found on Chikyuu. Better yet, Sixth fleet was in orbit when they had arrived. This was what she had been hoping for since that meant her uncle was probably here. She did not want to have to deal with her father without any support. For Trunks, the fleet being here meant that he could get the best medical treatment. He just needed to hold on for a little while longer.
"WE repeat… Identify yourself Shuttle. You have thirty seconds before we atomize you," came the warning from the Sixth Fleet patrol ship.
"Trunks… hold on. I have to respond or they'll blow us up," said Pan. She quickly turned her attention away from Trunks and to the control board. "Imperial Cruiser… This is Lady Son Pan, to whom do I speak?"
There was silence to her response for a moment. Pan was sure that they were running a check on her voice to make sure she was whom she claimed.
"Lady Pan. This is Captain McMillan. I'm sorry, but Admiral Hideyoshi has given specific orders that anyone claiming to be Son Pan is to be brought to him for visual confirmation. Please prepare to be boarded. We'll take you over to the flagship."
"That is no problem. I have a sick passenger Captain. Is it possible that you can see to him while I'm with the Admiral?"
"Sure thing Lady Pan. I'll have a med team meet you as soon as we dock. McMillan out."
"You'll be in good hands Trunks," she said softly as she looked over at his sleeping form. She couldn't help put take his hand in her own and softly ran her thumb back and forth along the back of it. "You'll… be ok."
Several Hours later…
As her Uncle did earlier in the day, Pan rode down in a shuttle to Chikyuu's surface. She looked out the window of the shuttle and signed. She really didn't want to come home. Space had been good for her. She had learned to control her Saiyan instincts and had also created a niche for herself. Though her uncle looked out for her, she mostly relied on herself. Her line of work took her to some of the darkest corners of the Imperium, and Pan had been through a lot over the last four years.
Her work had matured her far beyond her twenty years. She was even expecting be given a title of her own sometime within the next two or three years. Despite this, when she came home she was treated as a child. It was absolutely infuriating. Worse, she didn't have the heart to tell her father what exactly she did. As an Imperial agent, Pan was obliged to remove threats against the Emperor on occasion. She usually didn't have to terminate people, but sometimes it was necessary. Most of the time she just collected information on the dealings of the various underworld factions. She was like an undercover CIA agent given complete autonomy and a license to kill. The work was dangerous, of course, and sometimes dirty.
Her Saiyan side needed this adventure, this rush, and more than anything, this violence. She wasn't like her father or her grandfather. They had somehow suppressed their nature, but neither her, nor her uncle, had been able to accomplish that. So she channeled it towards something that would do some good as well as keep her sane.
The problem was that her father would never understand that. In fact, he would probably try to make her stay on Chikyuu if he even had a hint of what she was up to. It was always a trying time when she came home. While she was still trying to prep herself for the upcoming meeting with her father, her communicator went off with a beep.
"Pan here," she said briskly.
"Pan! This is Trunks. I just wanted to tell you that I'm alright," came Trunks' voice.
Pan smiled in relief. An uneasy feeling to began to well up within her; Trunks was too much of a weakness for her. People in her line of work could not afford loved ones, especially ones that could be so easily removed. Her enemies couldn't exactly target her uncle, her father, or her grandfather. Firstly, they were on a remote planet, and were all rather influential there. Second, no one in his or her right mind would try to take down a Super Saiyan. And even if they didn't know they were Super Saiyans, there was no real danger to her family—it would take someone of extraordinary powers to do anything to any of her family.
Trunks, however, was an easy target. Though she herself never had to take out loved ones instead of the actual target, Pan knew that her predecessor had done just those things. She was glad that politics were much less Byzantine now. However, despite the hell of a job the Emperor and her uncle had done pulling the worlds into order and establishing peace, assassinations such as those still took place among the top families of the Imperium. Any life that Trunks led with her would put him in grave danger. She didn't know how she felt about that.
"I'm so relieved at hearing that Trunks… what was wrong with you?" she asked after a moment.
"Oh… I just wasn't eating right. The doctor said I had to make sure to get the right amount of protein and calories or my body would just start to slow down.
"I see…. Sorry I ate all the food Trunks. I didn't know that you needed more."
"Don't worry about it Pan. Everything is all right now and that's what counts. Where should I meet you?"
"Well… I have to meet my uncle for a meeting right now. Afterwards we are going to see my family. Why don't I meet you for breakfast tomorrow?"
"Oh… tomorrow? Ok… I guess I can just find a hotel or something," Trunks was obviously bit disappointed. He really wanted to see Chikyuu with her, but it was probably for the best; he had to eat, and she had to see her family.
"Trunks… I have to do this."
"I know… if you need an ear… well you have one, ok?"
"Thanks Trunks. I'll probably call you out on that one."
"Sure thing… Talk to you later and good luck."
"Thanks. Bye Trunks."
The shuttle shuddered as it landed a minute or two after she had her conversation with Trunks. Pan shook her head to clear her thoughts. Things were spinning out of control for her. She had to not only deal with her family now, but her feelings for Trunks as well. Worse, if she did decide to go with her feelings, then she had to introduce him to her family. She was a bit worried about how that was going to go over. She remembered Trunks' reaction when she had told him that she was Gohan's daughter. Then again, he already knew some of the secrets. Perhaps the alien heritage thing would go over smoothly. Oh well… one thing at a time, she thought to herself as she stepped out of the shuttle to a waiting car.
"Lady Pan. A pleasure to see you again," said the waiting adjunct. The man was tall and his face weathered. He was about fifty years old and gray hairs had begun to dominate his former brown color. She smiled when she saw him. He had been one of her uncle's men for years. She had known him since she was sixteen and he was a good man to go to for advice.
"Good to see you Geoff. Where's my Lord Uncle? I expected him to meet me personally," asked Pan. Her uncle was a busy man, and she knew that she was acting like a little child when she asked such a question. However, the Duke de Sirrus had always met her before whenever she had come and it was out of character for him to send an aide.
"He's meeting with Minister Satan at the moment. He informed me that it was urgent and that he couldn't put it off, he said you'd understand, m'lady."
Pan halted in mid-step. "He's talking with Minister SATAN?" she exclaimed incredulously. There could only be one person that could hold that title and if her uncle was talking to her then that means all the skeletons were coming out of the closet. That would make life even more complicated for one Son Pan.
"Well… Your Lord Uncle dissolved the Chikyuu parliament not more than three hours ago. He is creating a regency board for now. His past is becoming public knowledge. I don't know about yours though. You are to attend this meeting though. Duke's orders."
"You have gotta be kidding me? This… this…" sputtered Pan. She couldn't believe what was happening, though she had always known it would happen eventually.
"It won't be too bad m'lady. I know a little bit about your family and I think everything will work out," assured the aide. "Come on. We must be going. The meeting is already starting and since you just came in, I'm sure the Duke will want you to speak."
He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a capsule. "These are also for you, milady. Your uncle insisted that you present yourself in full dress uniform. A changing station will be provided as soon as we arrive. There's also a little surprise in there for you as well."
Pan closed her eyes and swallowed nervously. This was not going to be pretty.
At the same time…
"Goten!" said Videl with more than a hint of anger in her voice as she caught up to her younger brother-in-law. She had seen him walk out one of the side exits as the parliamentary meeting was breaking up. It had taken her only minutes to decide which six members would make up the regency board and she had her aides begin to round them up. They were all scheduled to meet with the Duke de Sirrus in an hour, but she wanted words with her brother prior to that.
"Yes, Regent?" he said emotionlessly. His four guards flanked him and Videl could tell that they were ready for action.
"Goten, you fucking prick," she shouted at him. Videl's fiery temper had abated quite a bit as she had grown older, but there were times when she reverted to the obstinate brash youth she had once been. She didn't care that Goten was the Duke de Sirrus or that he was a Super Saiyan. He had ambushed her with that little regency stunt and made her seem like a complete tool. He'd undermined so much of her hard earned political capital that she didn't even know if she'd get re-elected and she certainly wouldn't be a minister after this fiasco. In more than one way, she felt betrayed. She wanted answers and she wanted to vent.
Unfortunately, the Lord Sirrus was not someone you shouted at in anger even if you were his sister. Videl's eyes grew as wide as she was thrown to the ground by a blast of invisible ki. The temperature of the room dropped to zero faster than three-ton truck driving off a bridge. She gulped as she saw a visible energy ball form in Goten's hand aimed at her. She couldn't believe the cold eyed man standing before her was her laughable, huggable Goten.
"I suggest you rephrase that quickly, regent. Otherwise your appointment will terminate rather quickly, ne?" His voice was as cold as his eyes. Videl could see other politicians and aides scatter. Some ran for their lives.
"Lord Sirrus, I would like to know why…" She stopped and changed her mind about what she was going to say as she saw his eyes flicker in annoyance, "err…if I could have a private audience with you?" It wasn't what she was going to ask at first, but Videl hadn't gotten to her where she was by being stupid.
"Why don't we use the nearest conference room? I think we have much to discuss prior to the meeting." He signaled to one of the guards and the man immediately strode on in front of them while talking into his scouter. It was obvious that he was getting directions to the nearest private room.
Videl walked in silence side by side with Goten as the guard led the way. She wanted to say something, but frankly this new Goten frightened her out of her mind. She knew of the power of the Saiyans; she'd seen Goku and Gohan spar. They all walked with that quiet powerful aura, but neither Gohan nor Goku radiated that aura of danger that Goten did. Her husband and father-in-law were peaceful people and she had always thought Goten was the same. No, he was the same until about an hour ago. Now he was like a hungry wolf walking amongst sheep—any second he could become violent and begin the slaughter. Videl shivered. Damn why can't Gohan be like that once in a while?
"Cold in summer?" asked Goten not truly understanding as he saw her shiver. It amused him and horrified him at the same time. He didn't want Videl to fear him, but he couldn't let her get away with that sort of disrespect in public. While he could have let that slide, especially here on Chikyuu where it didn't matter, it just wasn't in his nature.
Videl didn't answer. She stayed silent until they were led into a conference room and the guard shut the door behind him on the way out.
"You weren't acting back there were you?" asked Videl as she flopped into a chair. "You honestly would have blasted me if I hadn't said the right thing."
"Heh, Videl, I'm sorry about that," he apologized sincerely. He didn't let himself go back to the usual Goten that he pretended to be, but he did let himself relax. The tension lessened in the room automatically as brother and sister sat down across from each other. "And yes, but I wouldn't of hurt you. You're family. Plus, I don't want to piss off Gohan anymore than I already have. Still…"
She waved it off. "I would have slapped a subordinate down just as hard as you if they did something like that to me. I should be the one apologizing but you pissed me off and I wasn't thinking." She saw him about to lecture her but she cut him off. "I'm not Gohan, you don't have to tell me about how to play politics. Still I want a good reason for what you did to me today. That was not acceptable Goten. Not at all."
"I had no choice, Videl. If enough resistance could have been put together then fighting would have broken out, and that would have caused too many unnecessary deaths. The surprise had to be complete," explained Goten.
Videl nodded. She had come to the same conclusion on her own. "You could have told me… you made me look completely in cahoots with you. I can't help you if my reputation is destroyed."
"That's why you had to be truly surprised. Those who are members of your faction will know you had nothing to do with it and will continue to support you. The others will be brought along with a carrot, and if not with the stick."
"I don't agree with you there completely, but I can see your reasoning," said Videl before a frown marred her beautiful face. "There's more though. I think you didn't tell me because you didn't want me to tell Gohan, and if Gohan knew then you might not have pulled this off." Two sets of cold black eyes met each other. It was Goten that looked away first.
"True, but it isn't because I was afraid of failure. Whether Gohan and my father and ALL the other Chikyuu fighters opposed me, I still would have succeeded… but the cost would have been too great. I could not do it that way Videl, I hope you understand that." Goten was quiet, and the confident dangerous aura that he maintained slipped away. Instead, he looked vulnerable, even fragile.
Videl blinked in surprise. The change had been quick and she realized just how much his family mattered to him. "Ok, Goten. I understand…" she said as she let out a great heavy sigh. "So what do we do now? Where do we go from here?"
"I hoped you would," he said with a wain little smile. "For now things continue as they have been with us. I am the Duke de Sirrus, but I'm still Goten. Can you reconcile that?"
"I don't think I'm the one who's going to have problems reconciling that." The warning in Videl's voice was clear. "You are going to have to explain to the rest of our family what is going on."
"I know."
Silence settled between the two in-laws as the conversation came to a dead end. Several minutes passed as both of them weighed the consequences of the day's actions. Finally, Goten said, "I think we need to move on to business. I'm not sure that I can take more of this emotional trauma.'
"I agree whole-heartedly. So, what do you want from me?" asked Videl.
"I need you to build a base of support for Imperial rule here on Chikyuu. Things will be fair, but there might be some… loss of freedom in some areas such as price gouging. Resources will also be diverted to military production for the near future. Of course a fair price will be paid for all services and goods rendered—in Imperial credits."
"If the prices are fair then this will be something that Chikyuu needed badly," mused Videl. "A fresh infusion of Imperial credits would jump start our economy. I can spin that."
"There will also be some policy changes and military rule will not be relaxed until Bojack is defeated. I cannot have factions bickering behind my back." Goten stood up and paced the room as he brought his thoughts into line. "I must have a secure base of operations, Videl, to begin the campaign to retake the Imperium. There is no one else I can trust to keep Chikyuu firmly in control other than you. No else has the political understanding or even the legitimacy you have as an elected minister and as Mr. Satan's daughter."
"Goten… You are talking about striping a free planet and putting it under martial law. You are talking about making me a dictator and expecting me to keep things under control for you? This is a tall order brother dear."
"I know, but there is no else that can do it. I must have Chikyuu pacified while I deal with Bojack's coming strike fleet. It will be coming soon because as long as I am alive he will never be in complete control."
Videl nodded. "Ok, but if I do this you have to give me free reign and I do it my way. I'm not going to be a dictator. I'll create a coalition government and work from there."
"No government can rule by committee."
"My way Goten," she repeated firmly. Her eyes met his again and there was again a struggle of wills. He needed her though, and she knew that he'd give in. A beep from his scouter broke the tension. She saw his eye flicker to the corner and then a broad smile appeared on his face.
"Alright, Videl. We'll do it your way," he said pleasantly. "We have to go, the meeting is about to start and Pan just arrived. She'll debrief us."
"Pan's here?" asked Videl rhetorically. Her eyes suddenly were alit with happiness and she almost bounced with excitement. "My baby girl is finally home… wait." Videl's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What do you mean debrief us? What does she have to do with any of this, Goten?"
Goten returned Videl's look cooly. "Videl... Be proud of your daughter. She's someone special."
A short while later…
Pan arrived at the Chikyuu Parliamentary building a short while after she stepped off the shuttle. She was nervous and ecstatic at the same time. Geoff had given her a new uniform and with it a pair of surprises. The uniform was a normal Imperial Agent's official uniform. It was a simple black jacket over a white blouse with matching black pants. The collar was red and a gleaming eagle's eye was pinned on each end. The difference now was that she wore an orb on each collar and that meant that she had been given her first official noble rank. She was now Baroness Son Pan of the Crecy star system. To top that off, she had received a new promotion to the rank of full commander.
Yet, despite these things, Pan felt as nervous as a young virgin on her bride's night. Her mother would find out far too much today, and she knew that her parents would soon be quizzing her about her activities. Everything was coming to a head. Calm yourself Pan, she thought to herself, You will go into this as you go into everything else. With dignity and pride. Remember your pride. She could almost here HIS voice as he instructed her on the manner a Saiyan holds herself. To hold oneself with pride, it was almost a motto. Slowly Pan ascended the stairs as she followed her uncle's aide towards the chamber where the deliberations were being held.
"PAN!" came a voice that she vaguely recognized. She couldn't quite place it as she scanned the area around her. There was no one that she recognized.
"Pan, you don't recognize me do you?" asked Marron as she walked up to the young girl. It pleased her that Pan had done so well for herself in space. She had seen the devastating effects of being forced into the Chikyuu mold on the young saiyan. She hadn't been sure when she saw the little girl leave if Space would be good for her, but the young woman that had returned brimmed with confidence and intelligence. The insignia that Pan now wore on her collars highlighted her success.
"Marron? I'm sorry. I just couldn't place your voice. A lot on my mind," apologized Pan. Marron wasn't exactly the person she wanted to see now. The blonde had always made her edgy. She had met her several times five years ago just a few months before she had left for space with her uncle and Pan always had the impression that Marron was superficial. She was always quiet and polite, but her eyes were too sharp and too calculating for someone who was so demure. She was… artificial and Pan did not like that one bit.
"Your uncle and mother just went into a meeting. I was wondering if you could deliver this note to your uncle for me," asked Marron. Her voice was as sweet as honey, but her eyes were aflame. They burned with an inner fire and if Pan wasn't mistaken, a bit of malice.
"What's this for?" asked Pan curiously. Marron remained silent and starred at Pan. She obviously expected Pan to accept without her giving a reason and Pan was not pleased about it. She would have refused but she also remembered that Marron and her uncle had some strange history between them. Her uncle never spoke of her, so she was sure that it wasn't something pleasant.
"I can do that for you," replied Pan with a false smile. Her uncle would eat Marron up and spit her out if she tried something.
"Thank you, Pan. I have to get back to Capsule Corporation now," said Marron as she turned and walked away.
Pan watched her leave with distaste. There was just something about that woman that made her queasy. Shrugging, she turned and walked into the parliamentary building. She had a meeting to attend and Marron wasn't her concern.
A few moments later…
The members of the regency staff that Videl had put together sat around a half circular table in the middle of a large chambered room. There were about twenty people in the room. Of those, only six were representing Chikyuu. The rest of them were Goten's men. The meeting was a briefing for everyone to understand the current situation on Chikyuu.
Videl, herself, sat frowning at the way the proceedings were going. She couldn't stop staring at her brother-in-law as she watched him speak with uncharacteristic charisma. Oh, he had always been charismatic but in a very naïve and innocent sort of way. Now, he was absolutely brilliant; he knew economics, politics, sociology, law and even technical details in just about every area. Moreover he was the most devious politician she'd ever seen. He would present the pros and cons of his proposals and then subtlety infer the very dire and life threatening consequences that would follow if they weren't accepted. They truly were offers that could not be refused. But, his propositions were almost all fair, and to the point. They gave him maximum advantage and also provided great incentives to those of Chikyuu who went along with him.
She couldn't stop staring at those five orbs on his collar—those five sparkling gems that declared him an Imperial Duke. In fact, she couldn't stop staring at him in general. She had always thought of him as the little seven-year boy that she used to play with and train with. She'd learn to fly with him and she'd always been the one he went to when he had problems. He had always been a little intimidated of Gohan and his father really was clueless on a lot of worldly things. So it had been up to her to help a young boy struggle through childhood and then adolescence. They had been close up until he had gone away.
Now, after today's events, she saw him as a stranger. Gone was the innocent happy boy Goten. A man had replaced the boy and she was having difficulties grasping that. This Duke de Sirrus, this cold-eyed charismatic man that made her… made her what? Shiver? Shiver in fear or something else? Videl firmly squashed that line of thought and forced herself to pay attention to what he was saying instead of other things.
"Twenty percent of Chikyuu's industrial capacity will be geared towards military munitions. They will be priced 10 percent over cost and will be sold to us on credit, but in Imperial currency. This is fair, as we will be purchasing large quantities. Your industries will make quite a profit," stated Goten.
There was a knock on the door, and Goten stopped speaking. Everyone turned to see who would dare intrude on such a meeting.
The door opened and Goten's aide walked in. "Baroness Crecy, milord."
Goten nodded. "Hon. Ladies and Gentleman. I would like to pause here and give you an update on the situation in the Imperium. The Baroness has arrived during our session and this will be the most up to date information. Baroness, please come in. You have the floor."
Videl watched as a young black haired woman walked in. She blinked a moment as she looked at the face of the woman. She knew that face, but it couldn't be who she thought it was. There was no way it could.
"Milord Duke de Sirrus," said the voice. Videl knew that voice. The voice was right.
"Admirals," continued the voice. She was dreaming. Videl pinched herself, but the face and voice didn't change.
"Hon. Ladies and Gentleman." The voice was clear, and crisp. It obviously was not unfamiliar with giving a report in front of important people. Videl still couldn't bring herself to believe what her eyes and senses were telling her. It just couldn't be her baby.
"Mother," said the voice directly to her. Videl felt herself beginning to get light headed. First the surprise of Goten being a Duke, now her daughter stood before her in full Imperial regalia as well. She looked more closely at her daughter and saw that she was wearing the uniform of a commander. Moreover, she had a title as evident by the orb on her collar. Videl didn't know what the red eye was, but she was sure that it was something important as she noticed the utmost attention every one of the Imperials were giving her. How did her daughter accomplish all this? Who was her daughter really? What had she been doing in space?
These questions flashed through Videl's mind. She looked over at Goten hoping to garner some clues from him. He, however, was listening to what Pan was saying with his full attention. Videl decided that this would have to wait till later and turned her attention to what Pan was saying as well.
"… The major systems nearby are held by Bojack's troops. Sirrus four, itself, is base to most of the remaining portions of fifth fleet, as well as contingents from fourth and seventh. Commodore Anders was given command of this fleet but he is no longer with us. I, unfortunately, do not know his replacement."
"Baroness, How did Anders come to an end?" asked one of the lower ranking military officers at the meeting.
"His flagship met with an unfortunate accident. A core containment breach if I'm not mistaken. In fact, I'm quite certain of that," said Pan a little smugly.
There was a murmur in the room. "Baroness Crecy, Are you certain? Anders is an excellent strategist and if he were leading the fleet that we are to face we need to know."
"Yes. He is dead. I kept track of his ki during the time I was held on the ship. He did not escape the fiasco."
Videl sharply inhaled her breath. Held on the ship? MY PAN was a prisoner? There was going to be a serious family talk.
"Baroness, may I ask a frank question?" asked one of the Chikyuu parliamentary members. Videl had selected him out of a sense of fairness. The dog like Shu had been a member of parliament for decades. He represented the opposition to Videl and her party, but was almost universally respected for his even honesty and wisdom. Videl always wondered how the guy had anything to do with Pilaf.
"Please Hon. Sir. I would gladly take any question you have," responded Pan.
"I want your honest assessment at what chance does Sixth fleet have against the rebellion. If we are going to do everything you people ask, I think we are entitled to know what are our chances."
This question started conversations throughout the room. Many of them were angry, because they thought the old dog was trying to say that 'if you can't win, we won't help you.' Shu raised his hand for silence.
"I am not saying we won't support you. In fact, I don't think we have a choice anymore. The very fact that you people are here means that we will be automatically associated with you. This is not to mention that most of Sixth fleet are Chikyuu-jins. Even if we demanded you leave, and you did. I have no doubt we will be punished severely. I just want to know the truth."
"I would like to know the truth as well," said Videl echoing the older parliamentary member. She lingered on the world truth, and no one could miss the connotations that went along with that, least of all Pan and Goten. She could see both of them slightly wince at her words.
Pan didn't say anything for a moment. She didn't know what to say really, and her mother speaking out had thrown her out of her equilibrium.
"Pan, go ahead and tell them," said Goten. He knew what their chances were, but he wanted to see what Pan had to say.
"The truth of the matter is… That we have a fair chance of winning," stated Pan with resolution. She firmly believed that. She looked at her uncle and saw him stare up at her with interest.
"If fifth, fourth, and seventh are already at Sirrus we will not have the time to prepare," said Admiral Aethefel. "Explain your reasoning, Colonel."
Pan took a breath before she continued. This was going to be hard to explain. "The problem of time is not of issue I believe. From what I gathered with my briefing with Admiral Hideyoshi, we have almost an entire fleet here as we have replacements from third to fill the gap that was caused by the Sirrus ambush. Now, we may be outnumbered three to one, but we have an advantage they don't. Ki power."
Pan paused and looked around the room. Almost everyone was hanging on her every word. Most of them obviously thought they were making a last stand, but her words seem to have given them hope. She looked at her uncle and saw that he was smiling at her slightly. He knew that they could win, but he wasn't sure. She knew the reason why he wasn't sure.
"Ki power… How many ki users can we come up with?" asked someone.
"An ungodly number," replied Pan. "There are very powerful Ki-users on this planet. In fact, there are two other living beings that are a match if not stronger than the Duke living on this planet."
"Baroness… we do not know if we can count on their support but even if we can, even three ki fighters that can match the Duke's power can't tilt the balance entirely. Also, we would lose the Duke's tactical expertise if he were to go into battle," commented Admiral Hideyoshi.
"Firstly, Admiral. You sell yourself and Admiral Aethefel short," replied Pan. "We aren't battling Cooler or another of the fleet admirals. Anders, for example, was a commodore and lacks the experience in commanding a full fleet, whereas you and Admiral Aethefel have done just this countless of times in the Dukes absence. I believe we have the advantage there.
Furthermore, Buu has returned with me. Add another fighter as powerful as my Lord uncle. There are also the Androids, Seventeen and Eighteen, Piccolo and several other Z-fighters who are nearly at this level. As we well know, that level of ki user is approximately a match for a squadron of Dreadnaughts. I think, in the final tally. We are the ones with the advantage."
Pan could see hope dawn in all the faces of the people there. Most of the Z-fighters kept themselves out of the public eye, so that the vast majority of people had no idea how powerful the fighters of Chikyuu truly were. The only problem that remained was that Pan and Goten had to convince all the others that it was in their interest to help. With their family situation at the moment, this was a harder task to accomplish than it would seem. Fireworks would fly tonight when she got home. She was sure of that
Author's note: As I was rewriting this chapter, I came up with the interesting idea of having a little Videl/Goten tension… I think Videl after twenty some years of marriage with Gohan would be a little bored… or had gotten bored just because Gohan seems like a boring kind of guy. I figured its time to spice up there marriage… What do you think? Should I try this or do ya'll think it's a little too much?