Chapter 104 - Disturbances
The Galactic Republic.
The Milky Way had a tumultuous history, along other galaxies in the Seventh Universe. If the Seventh Universe was its own planet, and each galaxy considered a country, then the Milky Way would be considered one of the uncolonised, most savage regions. This isn't to say that the other galaxies and their host of planets were advanced beyond recognition. It was merely that the Milky Way's history of violence left it prone to many setbacks, and the formation of a proper republic - the Galactic Republic. It was not the first of it's kind, but the first time the Milky Way had seen true and proper order.
Freeza and his father may have considered themselves sovereign - and it was true their authority had been recognised whether it was appreciated or not - but they had not entirely replaced the Galactic King. The Octoid entity was considered the Head of the new Republic, his position as King doubling with this new government. And now, in light of a report received from Merus, it was time to call a Summit.
Rising through a MatterWave lift, kept encased in transparisteel - a useful, processed metal more durable than glass - Bulma heaved a sigh. How she had been designated Earth's representative, she still couldn't say. Her multiple revolutionary changes to not only her home planet but the Solar System itself seemed to have defaulted her to a position higher than Earth's own King - who had abdicated the throne in favour of Bulma. Thus, whether she had intended it to be or otherwise, Earth was considered a corporatocracy, with Capsule Towers as the leading government building. Bulma eyed her reflection in the transparisteel column. The face that looked back at her, confused and surprisingly resigned, was that of a woman either seventeen or eighteen. Despite being close to sixty- though she would never tell anyone this- her successful experiments with genetic splicing had incorporated Saiyan cells into her body, restoring her youth. That product was soon to be ready for the market, giving those who desired a path in martial arts the aptitude of a Saiyan to see them through.
She groaned again.I'd rather be working on a new project...or trying to get a handle on this. Bulma didn't want to call it training, as she'd never become the kind of muscle head her late husband and Son Gokū had been. At the same time - and perhaps it was Vegeta's cells that she had used to splice her DNA with - she felt ever so compelled to do something physical. Lights danced above her fingertips; she could conjure ki as easily as breathing now, and Gohan had shown her the ropes, so Bulma found herself even flying with ease.
"Mistress, are you alright?" The voice of Qirka snapped Bulma back to reality. Standing at her side was Qirka, the woman she'd modified with cybernetic fittings by utilising Dr. Gero's old blueprints of an Android modeled "No. 21". Using these blueprints, Bulma saved the life of a woman who dying from a car crash; she's not synthesised Senzu at the time, and the woman begged Bulma to save her life. Bulma had done it the only way she could, and now Qirka - who'd lost a lot of the memory of her old life - worked as Bulma's assistant. "You aren't nervous, are you?"
"No, why would I be nervous?" replied Bulma. "I just accidentally'd myself into one of the most powerful political positions in the Galaxy and I have no idea what I'm doing with it, but no, not nervous."
Qirka blinked. "That's good to hear, then."
Bulma's brow worked in bemusement. "You can process multiple variations of audio stimuli, but I forgot to check the sarcasm box off..." Running a hand through her lavender tresses, Bulma's blue eyes narrowed, and teasing grin her closest friends would recognise slunk onto her face. "What about you?" She chided. "You weren't too keen on leaving Goten when I told you I needed you to accompany me at the Summit. Are your thoughts filled with him right now?" Teasing Qirka on the way up the lift to the Summit was alleviating a lot of her negative, confused feelings.
"M-M-Mistress, that's not true!" Qirka protested. Her face flushed, the blood - more limited in her cybernetically-enhanced body than a normal human - rushing to her pale cheeks. Though, had she been entirely honest, she was already missing Goten. After the entire Cell debacle, he had been far, far more open with how he felt about her, and -much to Qirka's chagrin - Bulma had freed her entire schedule so the cyborg had ample time to spend with Goten. All of it had been, Qirka could admit in hindsight, incredible enjoyable. She didn't know if she'd ever had such nice experiences as a human, but her second life was affording her so much.
Smiling, Qirka ruffled her mistresses head.
"Hey!' snapped Bulma, swatting Qirka's hand away. "What's gotten into you?!"
"I suppose I'm happy," grinned Qirka. Bulma smiled in spite of herself; having Qirka was like having a daughter. She'd often wondered if she and Vegeta might have, had he not died. Shaking her head, she realized the hololight lift was slowing. Looking upwards, she saw an opening; the transparisteel column gave way to a door of plasteel. In fact, the bulk of the building they were heading to found itself composed of this material; hard as steel, malleable as plastic, it was a wonderful building material that had its origins with the ancient Nameccians. The proper applications were still being developed, but Bulma had used an experimental version in the reconstruction of Qirka - it made her metallic implements stronger by far than those in Nos. 17 and 18.
The door opened with a rush of air, allowing the MatterWave platform to ascend into it. The lift had brought Bulma and Qirka to the base of a staircase. The two ascended, and were greeted with a circular room; the room had a large table in the centre, made to seat twenty-eight people. At the head of the table, on a raised platform, was throne-like chair. Sitting in this chair was a large-headed, numerous tentacled, green-headed creature: the Galactic King. Standing at his side was a young humanoid, with silver hair, purple skin, and dressed in the uniform of the Galactic Patrol. The table already had twenty-seven of its twenty-eight occupants, each having an attendant standing at their side. With Bulma and Qirka entering the room, it made a total of fifty-eight people, and the room accommodated them all without issue.
This room, Bulma knew from experience, was the Senate Meeting Room. Initially, before the very recent establishment of the Galactic Republic, Galactic Law had been decided and upheld solely by the Galactic King. While now, in the new system, the King still held an immense amount of power - and was in fact responsible for enforcing the laws discussed and passed at the Senate, even having the power to overturn and veto laws in case of a majority tie - the Representatives of each Quadrant of the Galactic Republic were responsible for drawing up the terms for what new laws would entail. This was the duty of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, composed of Representatives of some several hundred inhabited planets.
In this building, located in a neutral zone in the Milky Way Galaxy, the Senate would gather, sending Representatives from each Quadrant of the Galaxy - numbering exactly twenty-eight section, each representative from a planet who held the most influence, contributed the most resources, or otherwise had some specific advantage that gave it a voice which would matter on a Galactic scale - were chosen and summoned at regular intervals, or now, in cases of extreme emergency.
Twenty eight people to represent hundreds of inhabited planets, thought Bulma, taking a seat in front of a MatterWave table, with her section specifically written as "Earth" in a foreign script. It was a common written language used throughout the Galaxy, and Bulma, rather than spend time studying it, had simply downloaded the content into her brain. She could read it as easily now as she could Earth's own script. If this Republic Senate is going to have any kind of staying power, we're going to need to expand the number of Representatives allotted... She placed a forefinger to her chin, already considering how best to reform what she considered a flawed system. But...that's not why we're here today...
At the table, thenother twenty-seven had taken their seats before Bulma. She could see she was the last one to have made made it, but she was probably also the only one who had tried to weasel out of it. Directly across from Bulma, in the seat which sat directly before the Galactic King, was the representative of planet whose name was unreadable. It was a beautiful woman, with pointed ears, a long mane of black hair, which spiked and jutted in odd places, and framed her face in three fringes. Her eyes, a piercing blue, were narrow and stern. A cloak covered her body, but Bulma could see she wore attire that was a mixture of armour and royal garb. Standing behind her was a young man, with cropped, light black hair, similarly pointed ears, and a scarred left face. He wore similar attire to her, but his armoured portions were more obvious, resembling updated models of Freeza's armour.
This is the Queen of Seliana... Bulma mused. She couldn't read the script from this distance, but Bulma knew her by reputation. The woman had never attended a Senate meeting in Bulma's decade tenure as the Earth delegate. In fact, she always communicated via hologram. Then again, this is bigger than simply running over old laws and drafting new ones...
The other Representatives were not as surprising to Bulma. She'd met them before, and they dutifully attended - partially why she felt guilty not doing the work that had fallen into her lap. Immediately to her left and right sat the representatives of Planet Rougelia and Planet Eros. Each was a humanoid and a stunning shade of red and pink respectively. Further down the row, the representatives of Yardrat, an oblong-headed alien in peculiar clothes Bulma recognised once having been worn by Son, and across from him (her?) A green-skinned alien with two head-tentacles that reminded her forcibly of Majin Bū, a representative of planet Plito. The further down the row the representatives sat, the harder it became for Bulma to make out the text on their plates, even with Saiyan eyes.
"A call to order," said the King, his voice high. The delegates, who hadn't been speaking, required no such statement but it was merely a formality. "I appreciate all of you Gathering upon my summons. It appears we're faced with... a predicament. Multiple, in fact, and I find it difficult to explain."
Merus stepped forward. It was clear this was his cue, as interrupting the King normally would be frowned upon severely. "Which is why His Majesty has asked that I do the explanations." Merus walked from the side of the king, and stood at an angle in front of the MatterWave table. He was clearly visible to everyone, but stood closest to the Selianan Queen and her attendant. "Merely a day ago, in Galactic Standard Time, the Galactic Prison was assaulted, and one of our prisoners serving a life sentence was executed," He was pacing, the memory clearly bothering him. "This prisoner's name was Moro, otherwise known as the Planet-Eater."
Bulma was unsure which caused more of a stir in the room. The fact that the Galactic Prison had been broken into, or the name of the being who was slain.
"Should we not be pleased?" inquired a stout, green-skinned, black bearded alien, sitting further from the middle of the table on the left. "Planet Derve still has scars and memories burned into it of a failed attempt by Moro in the far flung past. He was a menace, and the fact that he had been left to rot rather than be executed by you Patrolmen boggles the mind!" He grimaced, showing sharp teeth. "I'd like to congratulate the person who broke I to your prison and snuffed him out personally!"
"Dorimi, really!" gasped another alien, directly across from him. This being had protuberant eyes, thin wisps of hair which rose high into the air like smoke, and scaled skin. "How could you condone such action?""
"Please, I understand the mixed feelings here," Merus said, raising a hand to call for silence. Surprisingly, it followed without retort or resistance. Merus seemed to have a strange presence, and it made Bulma feel...oddly familiar with him. "The very fact that the assailant killed someone that even the Dai Kaiōshin could not kill is cause for alarm, regardless of his crimes!" He looked pained. As an arbiter of justice, it must wound his pride to see such a cold execution carried out under the nose of the Galactic Patrol. "I wish, however, that this were the only issue."
"There's more than this?" inquired another alien.
"Yes, or we wouldn't have called a Senate meeting simply for this. My report to His Majesty would have sufficed," Merus sighed. "Queen of Seliana, it is your turn to address the Senate."
All eyes in the room fell on the woman who sat in the seat overlooked by the Galactic King. When she spoke, her soft voice belied her stern expression. Bulma rather thought it sounded like music; a melodious tune that one did not often get to enjoy, but sounded well on the ears regardless. She was startled. Bulma expected a frigid voice.
"We are faced with a problem," said the Queen of Seliana. "My people noticed it whilst traveling our normal supply routes." She hesitated. It seemed almost as if she didn't want to admit to what she was about to say. "Worlds are vanishing. Crumbling to nothing."
The reaction this time was far more audible. Several people stirred. Gasps issued, and even Bulma involuntarily flinched, looking directly across the table at the Queen of Seliana. Deliberate mutterings filled the room.
"Disappearing?!"
"Entire planets?!"
"Is this Freeza all over again?!"
"Silence!" barked the Queen's attendant, and the shock of the sound interrupted the representatives. Some looked mutinous, others apologetic, but silence fell to allow the black-haired woman to continue.
"It is not Freeza, or his organisation," answered the Queen. "We had channels of communication in Freeza's Army for personal reasons, and we can confirm that a vast majority was destroyed by an unknown force. As a unit, Freeza's military no longer exists." She casually lobbed a disc-shaped object towards the centre of the table, where it projected a hologram to the centre of the room.
"A star-chart," muttered Bulma.
Star-charts were a nascent kind of map, projected as a three-dimensional hologram and showcased a portion of space that had been pre-recorded and mapped by a celestial cartographer. They were very rare, owing to the fact that the Republic was still new itself. Bulma was surprised to see one so detailed, and assumed this went a long way towards earning Seliana the job of representing its quadrant.
"This star-chart is a combination of Selianan intelligence and Galactic Republic data," explained the Queen. "Every planet in the Galactic Republic - with outliers on the furthest arms of the Milky Way - are catalogued here, work they undertook themselves." When the representatives nodded at the information they clearly understood, the Queen raised a hand, waving it in the direction of chart. It expanded, showing a particular sector; dotted with stars, there were noticable blank spots. "These beacons have gone dark. There are several more like this," To prove her point, she waved through the chart several more times. Each moment she came to rest on a populated system, she magnified the chart to show pw the offending planet was missing.
"And we believe," Merus stepped in, eyes on the star-chart himself, "that the person who killed Moro to be related to these disturbances. These missing planets."
"What of the Hakaishin, Lord Beerus?" suggested one of the aliens. "We know tell of the God who brings destruction with so much as the slightest provocation. Perhaps he, if this is not Freeza?"
There was a buzzing of assent to this.
""It isn't," replied Bulma slowly.
"And why are you so sure of that?" intoned an alien far down the row.
"Because my son has been to Beerus' planet as recently as this week," replied Bulma easily. "Along with others whom I call friends. The Hakaishin is...a character, that's for sure, but whatever is causing this, it isn't him."
Merus could only stare at her, as did others. He did not gape as they did, but his eyes were curious nonetheless. The Selianan Queen retained the dignity that she carried, but much like Merus, eyed Bulma oddly.
"You are sure, miss, that you have met Lord Beerus?" Merus asked.
Bulma nodded. "Purple cat, bad temper, it is really hard to forget him."
It was a basic description, but Merus could only nod. The others remained stunned. "I did not believe it was Lord Beerus either, but I thank you for corroborating the story." With a gloved finger to his chin, he paced back and forth. "Our path forward remains unclear. For now, I cannot suggest putting the entire galaxy in a panic when we are unsure of every facet of the problem."
When Merus fell silent, evidently at a loss for what to say when so much was unknown, the Galactic King spoke again.
"Does anyone have any contributions? Suggestions, or otherwise motions to pass in regards with how to proceed?
The entire Senate was at a loss. With no further information to go on, it seemed as if they would all leave this meeting with nothing to have made it even worth gathering. Everyone looked around at each other; it seemed that, beyond the disappearances and the attack on the Galactic Prison, no one had noticed a single strange happening. As the Galactic King made the move to call the Summit to a close, Bulma spoke again.
"I might...have something worth noting," she said finally. Her blue eyes stared firmly at them all. "On my planet, very recently in fact, we were attacked by an enemy we thought long dead. We're surprisingly used to that," she added, though did not bother to explain about the Dragon Balls, "but it was what I found out after. He mentioned a...benefactor. He gave us no details other than that - that's the type of man he is - but his benefactor was referred to as a "she"." Bulma placed a finger to her chin. "I'm not sure if it's related, but it sure as hell seems odd, don't you think?"
"I agree," replied Merus. "I don't think these three occurrences are at all unrelated. It doesn't give us any leads, but it tells me one thing - there's more going on than I think we're all aware of." Merus thought for a moment. "The Galactic King and I will open our channels of investigation and see if we can't find out more about what's going out. There are numerous information brokers - some more on straight and now than others - but we'll see what we can. Every one of you will receive a notification from the King when we've got something solid."
The Galactic King stood. "Thank you all for attending, despite the short notice. We will meet again soon...and may this prove to be nothing."
The Representatives filed out, each of them rising from their seats as the MatterWave table. Bulma was among the last to head towards the exit, Qirka dutifully at her side, when a voice called out to her. It was the same melodious tone that she'd heard from the Selianan Queen. She was flanked by the young man who was her attendant, and both of their cloaks covered a good portion of their body. "My apologies, but I wanted to speak with you directly." The Queen looked into Bulma's eyes, two sets of blue, so different in hue, locked onto each other.
"Hm?" Bulma cocked her head to the side curiously. "Did I offend you during the meeting?"
The Selianian shook of her, her mane flowing with it. "No. It's just...you feel very familiar. Who are you?"
"It's polite manners to introduce yourself before asking someone else's name."
It wasn't Bulma who spoke, and the quiet voice surprised the Selianian and her attendant. Qirka was staring at her, looking moderately offended on her mistresses' behalf. The Queen fixed her with an appraising look, but nonetheless acquiesced.
"My name is Scalli," she replied. "Our world does not have family names, as is custom on some other planets, it is simply Scalli."
"My name is Bulma," replied the Earthling. "But I can't say I've evet met you before."
Scalli walked closer Bulma, leaning in closely. She appeared to be examining the purple-haired girl, leaving Bulma perplexed.
"You are Earthling, correct?"
"M-Mostly," was Bulma's reply.
Scalli was close, much to close, and Bulma was able to look directly into her eyes now. And then her tongue was in the Earthling woman's mouth, taking her entirely by surprise. Bulma hadn't even caught a proper glimpse of Scalli moving, she had moved so quickly, eagerly even. Confused, and unsure if she should even resist, Bulma's body twitched as Scalli prolonged the kiss, her tongue an unwelcome but proficient intruder, before breaking away. Saliva trailed between them. Qirka watched, stunned, but Scalli's assistant had not even flinched.
"That is a greeting, from Seliana to Earth," Scalli said, unblushingly. "I find you quite interesting, so I hope we whether the coming storm - and perhaps our planets can cooperate." Scalli and her attendant strode past a stunned Bulma and Qirka, the former who was gaping after her in confusion. A gloved finger touched her mouth, and she slowly wiped away what saliva remained. "I...am officially confused with alien cultures," Bulma said, half-dazed. What the hell, was the phrase circling through her head at the moment.
Qirka stood there, utterly bemused. "Are you and the Selianian Queen a couple?"
"No!" replied Bulma firmly, crossing her arms in a huff. "Taking advantage of a beautiful young girl like me. I'll have words for her the next time!"
"Ma'am, you're nearly sixt—"
"Qirka, we're going home!" Bulma said waspishly, cutting her attendant off mid-sentence. She stalked off towards the exist, boarding the MatterWave lift that would lead them back into the transparisteel dome. Her head was abuzz, partially the fact that Scalli had gotten the jump on her like that. She considered herself an experienced woman, so she'd never let a single person ever take the lead on her before. More importantly than that woman, thought Bulma fiercely, is that we all might be in danger and yet no one even knows why or how. I'm going to have to bring this up to Gohan when we get back.
Slowly, Bulma exhaled.
Why was peace so hard to come by?
A/N: And here we go! Another chapter of The Erased Chronicles, up and at you guys! This could alternatively be called "The Chapter That Borrows More Than It Should From Star Wars", as I have no actual experience writing sci-fi, but I have nothing against nicking a term or two. I was not fond of the "only 28 inhabited planets" that Dragon Ball Super introduced. Due to that, I adjusted it for this fic while still making references to it. As for names and puns...Derve is from "Verde", and "Dorimi" is from "Midori", both standing for "green" in Spanish and Japanese. "Scalli" is from "Scallion". I hope you all don't mind another set-up chapter. All of these are necessary for later, I swear. I'd prolong this author's note, but I can't think of anything else to say! I will see you all very soon, in the next exciting chapter of the Erased Chronicles!