--- The Phoenix Chronicles ---

Chapter 28 - The End of a Journey

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Seven Saiyans stood silent vigil on the bridge of the Icebreaker, as it drew nearer to its next destination. Today, all their planning would come to a head. In but a few short hours, they would arrive at the final meeting point for the Saiyan refugees, and their exodus to a new home would begin; after roughly five standard months, or just over one Saiyan month, of being scattered through the Northern Quadrant, today they would all assemble.

Many, if not most, races throughout the galaxy underestimated the Saiyans, writing them off as primitive, animalistic, and unintelligent, but in a scant two standard weeks, give or take a few days, the group on the bridge had managed to plan, rally, and relay, almost every remaining Saiyan throughout the entire Northern Quadrant, under the nose of the Cold Empire; by all reports, the only relay point that the Cold Empire had found was the bait planet, and that was deliberate.

The twins were currently in the training room, burning off some of the excessive energy they had; they knew well that today was not a day for their usual rambunctiousness. The remaining Saiyans were content to maintain watch on their progress, each lost in their own thoughts (although Avarrdo, Kellre, and Truniz's thoughts were decidedly a bit more smug than the others, what with the three of them planning this whole thing). Indeed, it seemed that everyone in their little group was on the bridge, with Avery brooding, as usual, at his terminal, Frost trying to remain dignified at his post while he sweated inside, Flute and Viola meditating silently off to one side, and Kat fidgeting nervously at her seat, and trying to hide it.

Pi walked up to her silently, laying a hand against her shoulder before asking quietly, "What's wrong?"

Kat jumped a bit at her touch, showing just how nervous she was, before laughing a little to cover it and replying, "Oh, nothing really. It's just... It's nothing. Don't worry. I'm fine." She didn't want to tell her 'sister' that she was decidedly nervous about meeting to many Saiyans; sure, the ones she'd met so far were all pretty cool, but it was still hard to get around all the stories she'd heard.

Crouching down, and moving the arm from sitting on her shoulder to rest around her shoulders, she asked, "Is this about what happened last week with your attack?"

She blinked a bit; she hadn't thought anything of that at all. "Um, why? Did something bad happen? I just remember blacking out, and waking up again in my room."

Pi only barely contained her smirk as she looked at her mate. Grinning a bit himself, Kaen commented, "Fairly devastating attack that. I'm almost jealous." That was fairly high praise coming from him, but there was something about the way he said 'almost' that made the young redhead believe there was something they weren't telling her.

Pi paused a moment, trying to work out the right wording, before asking, "Kat, were you aware of any side effects when you created the technique?"

The Neko-Jin shook her head. "Nope. I didn't even create it, really. I was just training one day when some creeps jumped me, and it just... happened. I do know I can't always do it though."

Nodding, she cast her gaze between her sister and mate for a moment, as if hoping he'd say something, before adding, "Well, there seems to be a side effect, maybe if too much ki is used, maybe not enough..."

She just quirked her head to one side, prompting, "Oh?"

Pi looked back at her mate, "Shall we?"

Kaen just smirked, shaking his head, "Later."

Pi just smirked back, replying to her adopted sister, "Don't worry about it. You're okay, and that's what matters."

Kat pouted, exclaiming, "Oh come on guys! You can't say something like that and just leave me hanging!"

Pi just stood up with a shrug, "Well, if you insist..."

Kat looked up at her worriedly, "What? It's bad isn't it?" The elder girl just smirked, reaching over to press a few buttons on Kat's console, starting the playback of an old recording, showing Kaen holding a small kitten; well, a kitten sitting on his shoulder, anyway. Confused, Kat asked, "Um, when did you guys get a cat?"

Without opening his eyes, Flute commented, "We didn't." The faintest trace of a smile could be seen on his face.

"Doesn't that fur look familiar at all?" Kellre added, with a grin of his own.

The girl took a closer look, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the picture, before clarity hit her like a sledgehammer. Recoiling quickly, she gasped, be it in shock or horror, as she squeaked, "That's me isn't it?"

There was stifled laughter from the older men and women in the room, Flute and Viola included, as Kaen walked up calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder, commenting, "Yes. Yes it is."

Her face burned in embarrassment, and it only got worse as the playback began. The first images were playful, with Pi playing with the small kitten while they were still on the planet, and even Kaen making a small fuss, but as the movie continued, Kat's face both paled in shock, and flushed red in embarrassment, resulting in an odd combination. The scene that had her so horrified: the scene with the little kitten in Frost's arms, purring appreciatively as the Aisu-Jin pet, tickled, and scratched her playfully. A slight squeak escaped her lips.

Frost smirked to himself, but otherwise remained silent, as his words came through the speakers, saying, "Now I just feel cheap."

Kat made a few motions as if she wanted to get up, but the hand on her shoulder clenched slightly, indicating her brother's thoughts on the matter: 'You started it, you finish it.' The scene changed to show the kitten's interactions with Avery, and she growled a little to herself, digging her claws in to the arms of her chair - the metal arms - and carved out small trenches. The video finally drew to a close, showing the twins playing with their 'older sister'.

Looking horrified to her bones, and half homicidal to boot, she commented loudly, "I am NEVER doing that again!"

Truniz spoke up, his calm voice not betrayed by the deep amusement he felt, "It's a powerful technique, and as far as backlash goes, that was pretty minor; trust me, I know, I've seen major backlash. If embarrassment is the worst backlash you ever suffer from your attacks, consider yourself lucky." Kat just grit her teeth, digging her claws deeper in to the arms of her chair; judging by the deep gashes that now ran through them, they'd need to be replaced.

Pi just laughed, trying to console her, before Flute called out, "Don't feel so bad. If it's any consolation, we will soon be meeting at least several hundred angry Saiyans, all of which no doubt want to kill his brother," indicating to Frost, "but may settle for him instead. If anyone has any reason to panic, it's him."

Kaen grinned, looking over at the Aisu as he commented, "The green man makes a good point."

Frost paled, which was saying a lot given his already pallid complexion; his pale blue skin actually looked white. Standing up a little shakily, and walking off the bridge, Frost muttered, "I need to go lie down..."

"Don't worry," Avery remarked, a grin on his face, "We'll wake you up when we get there." The birdman always liked to see Frost uncomfortable; he didn't hate him, just who he reminded him of.

Seeing the homicidal rage fade from his sister's eyes, Kaen calmly retracted his hand, commented as he walked off, "I need to go check on the pests. Be back soon."

Pi smiled at his retreating form, before turning back to Kat, saying calmly, "Don't feel so bad, you were very cute like that."

The girl's cheeks burned with embarrassment again, but the colour fled her face as a thought occurred to her. Afraid of the answer, she asked slowly, "Um, if I, uh, 'de-evolved', for a while, what happened to my clothes?"

Pi laughed, "I collected them for you, and when you dozed off I took you, and them, back to your room. We were a little afraid it might not wear off."

Relieved, the embarrassment returned as the girl replied, "Thanks sis. I don't think I could've stood it if I'd... changed back... in public."

Nodding, the older girl placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, saying sagely, "Well, being naked isn't anything to be ashamed of. If they want to leer, then let them; just make sure they get a few broken bones as payment."

Giggling a little, Kat replied, "I'll keep that in mind." She was obviously still a little embarrassed, but the feeling was fading.

Smiling a little, Pi decided to lighten the mood, patting the redhead as though she were still a kitten, commenting, "Well, as I said before, you were very cute as a kitten, so maybe we'll get lucky and it'll happen again." Kat just scowled, swatting the hand away, but it didn't phase Pi; she just giggled again and gave her a massive hug. The scowl remained on her face, but Kat made no effort to dislodge the Saiyan girl; Pi always got her way one way or another anyway, so why bother trying to fight it?

The next hour of flight was uneventful, but as the ship set down on the target planet, the mood on board was a sombre one. All nine Saiyans, the twins included, were decked out in full battle gear (although Kaen's was his own standard, not the blue, yellow, and white of Saiyan standard), that was formal enough for meeting dignitaries, but functional enough to fight in, should the need arise; and if things went sour today, the need probably would arise. The twins stood silently beside their brother, as serious as they'd ever been in their lives; obviously they'd had a talking to. At the head of the group was Kellre and Avarrdo, the pair involved in deep discussion.

With them was: Kat, her face a mask of calm determination, decked out in armour similar in design to Kaen's, only obviously in female cut, and entirely black; Avery, wearing traditional Tori-Jin sniper camo, a solemn look on his face; Frost, now looking much more calm and composed, and still in his fourth form, trusting in his speed, and the fact he was not his brother, to see him through the day; and finally, Flute and Viola, looking mildly interested in the whole thing, and maybe even a little amused.

Cracking his head to one side, Kaen looked to those assembled and said, "Well, let's get this over with." Avarrdo, Kellre, and Truniz filed out first, followed by April and Raene. Kaen and Pi walked out together, trailed by Kat and the twins, with Avery, the Nameks, and Frost following them. The area before them was deserted, filled with scarce trees and bushes, and besides the occasional scorch mark, the hallmark of Kaen's work, the land was plain and unassuming.

A few moments after they landed, a few Saiyans emerged from their hiding places in the surrounding environment, hailing a greeting, which the group responded to in kind. Walking forward, the first scout remarked, "Ah, I know you. You're commander Avarrdo, the one who sent the encrypted message."

Avarrdo nodded, "So I am. So, how have things been going?"

The scout shook his head, replying apologetically, "You'll have to ask the ruling council."

Kellre cocked an eyebrow, saying, "Lead on, and what's this about a council?"

As they were lead to the camp, the scout replied, "It's a group of the strongest elites. With the royal family slain, the ruling council rose up to take charge; they ensure order, and make sure no one tries to do anything stupid."

As they arrived at the camp, which was obviously set up in efficient military fashion - space pods lined up for immediate deployment, tents erected in perfect rows - a group of six brutish-looking elites could be seen having a shouting match in the centre. Without turning around, Avarrdo commented to the others, "And this is 'order'?" It had never been more obvious that he was Kaen's father than now.

While Avarrdo, Kellre, and their mates waited patiently, Truniz, feeling bored, decided to join in, waiting for an opportune time. Kat and the twins tried hard to suppress laughter, while Pi shared a smirk with her father, and both Kaen and Avarrdo shook their heads. It took a full minute before the six realised they had a seventh, and at that point Truniz just grinned cheerfully, asking, "What up bitches?"

Kaen barked a laugh, and the others looked like they were struggling not to join in, but before the shouting could resume Avarrdo and Kellre managed to interject, the latter asking, "So, why the shouting?"

The largest of the group, and therefore the one most likely to have the highest power level, replied gruffly, "We're deciding the best plan of attack against Frieza."

Kaen snorted contemptuously, and even Avarrdo couldn't keep the contempt from his usually calm voice as he gave the man a level stare, commenting, "He wiped out our entire planet without so much as breaking a sweat; do you really think attacking him is a wise idea?" The six elites started arguing that point, with Avarrdo, Kellre and Truniz arguing back, and everything soon descended back into a shouting match.

Pi yawned, turning an eye to her mate, knowing he'd put a stop to this, and he didn't disappoint. Forming a small ball of ki in his hand, he flung it above the group, detonating it with but a thought for a harmless, although loud, explosion. All eyes were instantly on him, both those of the elites, demanding to know why he interfered, and those of his family and friends, wondering what he was going to do.

Dusting his hands, he commented, "Now that you've all shut up, maybe we can have a normal conversation without shouting, hm?" His father and Kellre nodded once, deferring to him, and the elites gave him a look that said they were willing to give him a few minutes, provided he didn't waste their time. He levelled his gaze at them, looking the world like his father, as he began, "First, as they said, attacking Frieza right now is not only pointless, it's suicidal. Not one of you is anywhere near his level, and as much as it pains me to say this, there is currently not a Saiyan in this camp strong enough to stand up to Frieza and win. Unless you all want to die, I'd suggest a different plan, and if you're that eager to die, you don't need to find Frieza." Creating a ball of ki in his hand, he added, "I can do that for you."

Pi grinned to herself, watching her mate at work, while he re-absorbed the ki. "Okay then," he continued, "That said, we need to come up with a plan for the future. The Saiyan race has been severely crippled, and if we are to avoid extinction, we need to prepare for the next generation. Obviously, yes, the ultimate goal is to kill Frieza, and to rebuild the Saiyan race, in either order, but that will require more than half a dozen people arguing back and forth like a couple of kids."

Kellre nodded, adding, "And we have already found a desirable staging area to such an endeavour."

Kaen nodded, moving to step back, having said his piece, but at least one of the elites had more than enough of being polite, barking, "Since when did we have to listen to a runt like you!"

With a growl, Kaen replied, "If what I have seen is right, you're using the law of 'the strongest rule, while the weaker follow orders'." Powering up to his limit in his basic form, he added firmly, "And I am the strongest here."

The big man, the obvious 'leader' of the ruling council, scoffed, "Hah, kid, just 'cause you can bust a few scouters doesn't mean a damn thing."

Flute finally had enough of the ego being thrown around, he commented quietly, yet loud enough to carry across the area, "And yet, the very ground you are standing on was freed by this man, this Phoenix." All activity in the camp stopped, the sensitive hearing of the Saiyan people meaning everyone heard him, and word spread fast, everyone stopping to stare at the man in question.

The elite, however, was unphased, jeering, "Hah, like I'm going to believe this runt is Phoenix. Not by a long shot."

Groaning in annoyance, Kaen asked tiredly, "Then what would convince you baka?"

Pi just sighed, "Just beat his tiny head between his shoulders and be done with it sweetie."

He just shrugged, replying, "'Kay." No sooner had he spoken than he disappeared. With the sound of impact he reappeared, his elbow driven into the elite's kidneys, and his knee driven into his stomach, trapping the older man in place. A gasp went up from the onlookers; they hadn't even seen him move. As he withdrew his limbs, the elite proceeded to keel over, but before he'd gotten halfway Kaen spun around, his boot making contact with the man's chest, kicking him up and onto the two elites behind him, who proceeded to hold him up. Lowering his foot again, Kaen commented, "And that was using no more than a ten percent of my power."

The demonstration finished, activity continued in the camp. Casting an eye over it, Kellre commented, "Well done. Now, as I was saying, we've found a class four planet: enough life support for everyone here, and to promote growth."

Truniz interjected, "How many of us are there here anyway?"

One of the other elites, one of the three not supporting their fallen comrade, supplied, "A little over half a million. There were more survivors at the start, but some of us lost mates, so..." The assembled Saiyans all bowed their heads in understanding, Kaen keeping an eye on Pi as he did so.

After a minute of respectful silence, Avarrdo continued Kellre's speech. "We found the planet because it was the last planet a Saiyan child was sent to, so there's a good chance it was never logged with the Cold Empire; by my records, the child was sent mere hours before Vegeta-Sei was destroyed. Therefore, as long as we don't do anything drastic, like wiping out the local population, we should be able to make a fresh home there."

Casting an eye over the assembled elites, and sparing an especially long look at the elite still struggling to collect his breath, Kaen asked/stated, "I trust there are no objections?"

When no one raised any, Kellre nodded, "Very well then, let's get everyone loaded on to the Icebreaker, and we can be on our way."

Quirking her head to one side, as she was want to do, Kat, silent thus far, asked, "Um, how is everyone gonna fit? I mean, it's a big ship, sure, but, half a million?"

Avarrdo took on his trademark lecturing tone, "The ship was made to transport a full army. There's a fourth-dimensional city in there. However, it wasn't meant to support a species like a planet is, so anything over a few months of use will cause the ship's reactor to explode."

"Implode." Kellre added, grinning slightly.

"In any case," Kaen interrupted dryly, preventing the argument he could practically smell, "I imagine that would be rather painful for the occupants."

"Obviously," his father replied in a similar tone.

Curious, Frost finally spoke up, "So what's the name of this planet then?"

Truniz answered, "Some backwater place called Ey-ahrth."

End Chapter 28

Fin.

Or is it?