I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the right to Starcraft or any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.
Chapter 10: Judicator's discovery
Vegeta was somewhat surprised to see that Frost had let them go without a hitch at all, and even more that he held a celebratory event for their departure. The Saiyan Prince still suspected something from this, but who wouldn't. In any case, his suspicions were revealed a week later when he had the engine compartments inspected. While digging around in there, the Protoss officers found something they didn't recognize.
But Vegeta did, "It's a explosive device wired to the hyper drive systems, and is set to disable it at a certain time. Let's see, a few months from today. He must not have been lying about Aldaris backstabbing him, he must want us to catch up to him and eliminate the threat he poses," he explained to the others.
"Let's remove it then!" Tassadar nodded to his officers, who readied a few cutting tools to do so.
"No, don't touch it! If it's removed improperly, it will trigger the bomb! I don't think you want to be floating out in space do you?" Vegeta snarled.
"Well we can't wait a few months, we must be rid of it now!" Tassadar claimed.
"Bardock, Gohan, use those semi-impressive brains and figure this out," Vegeta ordered, moving out of the way himself. A loud alarm then triggered and the room darkened and flashed red.
"We're almost to the dimensional wall, back to the bridge!" Tassadar ordered. The crew remained at their posts, as did Gohan and Bardock, but the others retreated back to the bridge, where the other officers sat at their consoles.
"Fifty thousand kilometers to the wall Executor!" one said while reading his console.
"You four might want to hold onto something!" Tassadar warned as he sat in his chair. The ship stayed its course, still seeing nothing but blackness in space.
"Hey I think I see something ahead!" Goku pointed out. Indeed he saw something the resembled a thin blue line that stretched easily the length of a few planets. As the ship got closer, the line started stretching up and down, until it suddenly exploded into a tunnel of light. Everyone gasped in wonder. The hole was pink and purple in the middle, and the outside was a slowly swirling blue light.
"Quite a sight isn't it?" Tassadar asked.
"Yeah," Goku said, his eyes excited.
"Make for the center, Krator!"
"Yes Executor!" the Zealot answered, punching the course in. The ship accelerated again, and entered the tear in space. Behind them the hole sealed itself again, looking like nothing had happened. Everyone's eyes, including Vegeta's widened once they were inside, staring at the screen. The turbulence hit and they were all holding onto anything they could. The view provided a quickly turning swirl of blue with a white light at the end of the tunnel.
"Wow, this is cool," Tora said.
"And bumpy," Fasha added.
"We're about to exit," Krator announced a few minutes later. And they did, in the same fashion that they had entered. Once again they were treated to the black silent space, except the stars were all aligned differently.
"Welcome to this dimension," Tassadar smiled slightly, though it was hard to tell that he had changed facial expressions at all.
"That was a fun ride, can we do it again?" Goku asked in excitement.
-
"Fasha no, what have I done? Someone please help me!" I shouted as I awoke in the Zerg bed, dripping sweat. I had just had another nightmare, but it was a repeat of one I had had before. It reminded me of the one that saw me killing Fasha, willingly. I growled slightly at that thought, nothing in the universe could make me do that! It had more to do with something I would hate even more; I was going around random planets, infested and destroying the life on them, including Earth. The vision regarding Fasha just happened to be at the end. I shook the dreams from my head, it wouldn't do any good to dwell on them, Piccolo and Vegeta always told me so. Letch was sleeping peacefully at the foot of my bed, shifting like a dog would when it dreams. I slowly crawled out, waking him in the process. He rolled slightly as if he wanted me to rub his belly. I did so, getting another interesting purr out of the Zergling.
"I guess it is just like having a dog, if not for the rough skin, the six inch fangs and general desire to chew something in half," I noted, giving it a strange look as I said it. The wall opened up suddenly, and Kerrigan stepped in.
"Ah, you're awake. Here's your breakfast since you haven't eaten in a month," she said, tossing me the same crocodile like critter I had eaten before. I bit into it just to satisfy my growling stomach. She tossed one to Letch as well, who sniffed it before tearing it apart.
"Its beenth a month alreffy?" I asked with a full mouth.
Kerrigan wrinkled her nose slightly, "So, are you ready to leave now?" she asked as I polished off the small animal, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Spreading out a little bit, so pretty much wherever. We need to find a suitable location for our Cerebrate's base of operations, where he will settle until we leave this planet, come on," she motioned as I stood up.
"Wait, we've landed already? I didn't feel anything," I claimed. Kerrigan didn't answer, but did wave me on to get out. Letch didn't waste a breath in following us out the door.
-
She wasn't lying about there being no civilians, only a truly crazy person would live on this planet. I also saw why they called it Char. There was nothing but ash-covered ground everywhere. It seemed to be snowing, only it was ash falling and not snow. There were volcanoes everywhere, and most of them were active. I stretched out with my senses, getting nothing except Zerg signals in return.
"What a shit-hole," I muttered a bit too loudly.
Kerrigan only chuckled, "Get used to it, it's your shit-hole as well."
"Yeah thanks for the reminder," I said, kicking a rock on the ground. Letch pounced and went after it, leaving me and her alone. I glanced behind me, seeing the Super Hive starting to break down, only now pieces of it were falling off and hitting the ground. On contact it turned purple and became creep.
"Well, shall we go then?" she asked.
"Where to on this planet, hell what is out here anyway?" I asked louder, getting a small echo in return.
"Nothing, we do need to find a suitable place for our Cerebrate to be and build up a base around him. This is preferably near a large cluster of minerals and Vespene geysers. Never know what is going to follow us here," Kerrigan noted a bit of warning at the end of that statement.
I raised an eyebrow slightly, "Well I can say this, no one would think to look for anyone here. This has got to be the absolute worst planet I have ever been on!"
Kerrigan shrugged, "It could be worse, you could be sitting on a pile of fresh corpses that you had just killed!" She just has to rub it in doesn't she?
"Yes," she smiled slightly.
"Stay out of my head, or I'll blast yours off!" I threatened.
"Whatever. Come on, let's get going. I'd prefer to be a good ways from here before the rest of that decomposes and splatters everywhere!" She didn't have to tell me twice, and we set off on foot with Letch and a few drones.
Interlude 10.1 –Detection
"General Duke, our scanners picked up the Zerg on the planet Char. It's the whole swarm, spread out on the surface!" Duke lifted his cigar from his mouth, showing plague filled teeth with years of torment caused by smoking.
"Excellent, make ready to leave immediately! Is the ion cannon almost ready?" Duke asked.
"Yes sir, we should have it functioning before we depart!"
"Good good, I want to make sure nothing gets off that planet. We're going to kill these things at the root with no mistakes this time!" Duke said to his officer.
"General, I've got something approaching on radar, also going towards Char!"
"Identify!"
"It's a Protoss ship, most likely a command ship. But there is not fleet with it, as least none that I can see. They shouldn't be a problem, but it looks as though they will arrive on Char in about one week!"
"Hmmm, a few days before we do. Interesting that they should show up without sufficient firepower to wipe out all of the Zerg at once, they must have finally lost it. Never mind them, should they interfere with our plans then we shall take care of them, until then our main priority is the Zerg!"
"Yes sir!" several acknowledged at once as Duke sat back in his chair.
Hmmm, the Protoss, but without a sufficient fleet, what threat do they pose? Surely they know they don't have enough fire power with them. Something doesn't smell right about this, Duke thought to himself, watching his ships jump into hyperspace.
-
"Judicator, we have detected the Zerg!"
Aldaris snapped out of meditation in a heartbeat, "Where are they?"
"Just nesting in on the planet Char. The observer that has been trailing them reports that they have spread out across the planet, and their numbers will be thinner as result!" Croton explained.
"Excellent, how long until we arrive at Char?" Aldaris asked.
"About one week sire, give or take a day," Croton replied.
"Good, inform me if you can detect anything other than Zerg signatures. I want to know if that boy is still alive!"
"Judicator, my scanners are picking up something else headed for Char!" another Templar announced.
"Great, what now?" Aldaris muttered.
"It identifies with the Terran Dominion's ships. It appears to be a large fleet with a fully functional ion cannon in tow!"
"Argh, how long till they get to Char?" Aldaris growled.
"We will arrive a few days before they do sire!"
"That may be all the time we need before these Terrans try to destroy all of the Zerg at once, stay on course and speed! I want to get to Char as soon as possible!" Aldaris declared.
"Yes Judicator!"
"Until then, Croton, come with me. It's time we had a chat with the monkey!" Aldaris ordered, standing and heading for the nearest elevator shaft. Croton nodded nervously, following Aldaris off of the bridge.
-
Aldaris waited impatiently inside the large room. He had ordered everything be removed from the cargo bay and that the space doors be reinforced, just in case something went wrong. He fully expected to beat the Saiyan easily, though he planned on keeping him limited on power. According to his assistant, he could control the amount of ki power the Saiyan produced by percentage. He had decided earlier that he would not go beyond seventy percent power, just in case he underestimated the Saiyan's abilities.
"Wake him!" Aldaris snarled as two Zealots dragged in the Saiyan Shugesh, out cold. Croton injected something into the Saiyan, and he slowly roused.
"What do you want now? Another beating, go ahead you coward! It'll take more than your pathetic guards to make me talk!" Shugesh spat once he saw Aldaris.
"I have another idea dear boy. You're finally going to get your chance to defeat me, like you've been boasting about ever since we snared you!" Aldaris grinned slightly, taking off his long robe to reveal his golden armor.
"Judicator, are you sure about this?" Croton asked with caution.
"Yes I am sure, leave us! I will tell you what power setting to adjust to. Get out, it's high time I've tested this new power of mine!" Aldaris barked, getting an instant reaction. The guards and Croton left, the latter retreating to a higher post on the upper side of the cargo bay. Shugesh stood up far from easily, his knees did not want to obey him, but his will power was enough for him to stand on.
"Now then Saiyan, we are going to fight in this cargo bay. I want you to come at me like you would an enemy!" Aldaris dared while waving one hand forward.
"You are an enemy, like I need coaxing to know that. I will take your life, slowly," Shugesh growled. Aldaris wasn't quite sure of what to make of that response. Shugesh looked like he had been to hell and back. His body was beaten up, many bones were broken, and he was beginning to slim down due to lack of food. They only fed him once a day, and it was hardly what he could call a snack.
"Here's the rules before you begin your pathetic struggle against myself. You will be allowed a portion of your power back so I can truly test my new ki powers. Do not blast at the walls, unless you'd like to end your life quickly, for it will suck you out into space!"
Shugesh grinned slightly, "Better I do that then continue any suffering or torment you had in mind! I'd rather be dead and with my comrades again anyway, besides I'd take you with me and do Gohan a favor!" Shugesh raised a hand towards the door.
"Not so fast young fool. This armor is programmed to give me an air supply if I should so need, even in the cold vacuum of space. So I'm afraid it will be a worthless death! Now shall we get started, or do you need a banana first, monkey?"
Shugesh's grin dropped to a threatening glare, "No need for insults, you will forever regret challenging me Aldaris!"
"Croton, adjust power setting to twenty percent allowed!" Aldaris ordered. Instantly Shugesh felt some of his ki come back to him, and the collar around his neck lessened its grip greatly. Shugesh didn't waste an instant in bringing it out and powering up, a blue aura shown around him. He stood up sturdier as a result.
"Come now Saiyan! If you think that pathetic light show is going to scare me into submission, then I've got bad news for you!" Aldaris claimed. Shugesh finished the powerup quickly and took in a deep breath. Indeed, he wasn't even to his Super Saiyan level yet, but he was at about half of his full power in normal form, which suited him just fine.
"Now Aldaris, feel the wrath of a Saiyan!" Shugesh announced, flying straight at the Older Templar.
-
Croton watched the fight from above in a lookout station. Initially, Aldaris had an advantage, whenever the Saiyan punched or kicked at him, he dodged aside or parried the blow with his own arms. He thought Aldaris had been blocking with the armored wristbands, but he saw in fact it was with his own flesh. Croton wasn't sure if Shugesh was taking it easy and playing with him a little or not, he didn't really want to find out. Aldaris was doing fine until he tried to attack back. When he tried to throw a ki blast, the Saiyan started showing his true speed. It was like a fly around a farm animal, and Aldaris was definitely the latter. Shugesh dived in and out as Aldaris did nothing but shoot ki blasts at him, not hitting once.
"What's wrong Protoss, am I too fast?" Shugesh asked as he phased out from another one. Aldaris was beginning to lose his breath and panted slightly.
"How can this be? I was to realize once I found inner ki I would be superior! How can I, the Judicator, be losing?" Shugesh stopped long enough to answer his question, his arms folded with a grin on his face.
"Just because you've learned how to use your inner power doesn't mean you can be a warrior just like that. And here I thought you might actually provide some entertainment for me," he chuckled slightly.
Aldaris's frown deepened, "How do you master such an energy then, surely there is some procedure you have to follow!"
"There is, it's called training and experience, of which you have none!" Shugesh said as he floated down with his arms crossed. Aldaris' face fell, he knew what he had done wrong. Blast it all, I shouldn't have been so hasty with Frost, I never learned how to properly use this energy. Other than making beams and exploding blasts, I didn't think this one clear at all, Adun has frowned upon me. While he was going through his thoughts, Shugesh phased out again. Aldaris looked around for him, not seeing the Saiyan's double fist smash coming down on his head. Aldaris swore he heard his own skull crack under the blow, and now he truly knew what it was to fight a Saiyan without proper knowledge and skills.
"Damnit, its just like with the boy, one blow can be fatal. You won't beat me!" Aldaris announced as he rose again.
"This is pitiful, I'm not even going to break a sweat here Aldaris, and I'm the one who is injured. Why would you think you can even defeat a child when you redefine the word pathetic!" Shugesh taunted as he phased out again. He reappeared behind Aldaris and kicked him across the room, leaving a dent in the wall. Then he charged a ki blast in his right hand.
"Hope you've said prayers to your gods, its time to meet them!" Shugesh declared. Aldaris choked on his own blood, but shot his palm up, using a technique he was more familiar with. Instantly blue bolts of Psi flowed from Aldaris' hand, surrounding and shocking Shugesh until he was down and helpless. Aldaris took note that his Psi energy came forth even faster and stronger than before, a fact that he would keep to himself.
"Judicator, should I turn the power back down?" Croton asked over the intercom speaker.
"No need, the Saiyan is down," Aldaris managed to choke out as he held the Psi storm over the fallen Saiyan, who was still awake but helpless.
Shugesh grinned, "W-what's, ow, wrong old man? Have to resort to your magic tricks already, I guess you really are a coward down deep, I can smell your fear!" Aldaris kept the containment on Shugesh and stepped towards him, drawing up more power and shooting the Psi lightning out of both hands now.
Shugesh grinned even more despite the pain he was in, "You will never discover true fighting skills, your bodies are far to frail to channel any sort of power!"
"That may be true, Saiyan, but how about we find out!" Aldaris shouted, letting a large amount of Psi come from his hands. The pulse of Psi quickly surged into Shugesh and he went into a fit of spasms. Shugesh stopped moving after only a moment or two as the shock of Psi shut down his bodily functions quickly and he fell lifeless. Aldaris dropped to the floor in pain and exhaustion as Croton and the guards entered the room.
"Here, Judicator. Let us help you to the medical wing," one Zealot said.
"Save that specimen Croton, see if you can resuscitate his body, but keep him under," he managed to say as he started to pass out from exhaustion.
"What exactly are your plans for this Saiyan, Judicator?" Croton asked. Aldaris didn't answer, only allowed the guards to cart him off, wondering what he could do now.
-
As Aldaris hovered in the tiny isolation chamber, his thoughts flowed like a river full of questions and theories. If I cannot increase body strength, I will have to come up with another solution. Then again, I do have the basics of ki now. My Psi storm technique was stronger than ever out of my anger and desperation. Is it possible to channel Psi energy in the same way? With a Templar's high amount of energy, it should produce a similar outcome to counter a Saiyan's massive amounts of ki since we Protoss possess a large amount of Psi. Then perhaps I could try mixing the two, after all the boy did it and it enhanced his powers greatly. Aldaris now smiled to himself, Maybe, Saiyan, maybe I don't need to be such a physical presence on the field of battle after all.
-
I gazed over the desolate lands of the planet Char. Not once did the scenery change to anything different, it was either plains of gray ash, cold lava, or hot lava. A volcano here and there, maybe erupting, maybe not. Not one sign of life on the unstable rock of a planet, hell even the sky was dark with clouds of sulfur and smoke.
"In case I didn't say it before, what a shit-hole!" I declared, catching Kerrigan's gaze.
"Yeah, I heard you," she muttered. She was currently overseeing the formation of a Zerg hive. Nearby a large patch of minerals and a gas geyser loomed, just waiting to be harvested. We had traveled about a three days walk for any normal human, a few minutes for myself. So we were probably about seventy to eighty miles away from where the Super Hive once stood. On the way out, I noticed that I could not feel the Overmind, or the other Cerebrates, save for the one that came with us, floating in an overlord above.
"Not that I care, but where did the others go?" I asked.
"I told you we tend to spread out, most of the Cerebrates go with the Overmind and stay around him when nested. However we and two other broods separate from the groups and form our own little colonies around the planet, for better protection you could say. While the five other Cerebrates around the Overmind provide ample protection for him, the three others must fend for themselves. That way we have establishment in other places as well, I'm sure you understand," she grinned.
"I guess, but having your forces in divide and conquer mode doesn't always work, I'm sure you guys understand that as well," I fired back, though not in an angry mood.
"You Saiyans made that very clear, attacking en mass on your forces didn't work well either. So I guess its pick and choose against those who can fight," she smiled again as the hive began to sprout from the ground.
I rolled my eyes again, "You know that my friends are going to find me eventually, don't you?"
"Maybe they will, and maybe they won't. The universe is a big place to search, especially when they have two dimensions to look through," she noted as the hive's tower began to grow larger.
"Right, well I'm gonna go check this place out. I'll come back later," I said, hovering off the ground. Below, Letch ran on the ground, jumping over rocks and large cracks, following me wherever I went.
Power levels:
Shugesh: 35,000,000 (full power reduced by lack of energy and injuries)
Aldaris (ki only): 1,000,000; Psi power: 70,000,000+
A/N: This was originally two chapters long, but I decided to combine them into one because they were so short.
Next time on DBV: Verto encounters a very hostile alien race on Char and helps a lone marine fight them off and escape.