Chapter 5: Outstretched Hand

A/N: I'm looking for a beta reader or editor to help with my current projects involving both inviting and house of Bardock. Feel free to send me a PM if you'd like to help out my current one is going on vacation and won't be able to help for the next several months.

Also thank you for the feedback, hopefully this chapter will build this story in the right direction for that sweet ending.

Sitting in the mess hall, her hands holding her utensils but found no heart to use them, she wasn't really hungry though she hadn't eaten in days, despite the meal being moderately appetizing there was nothing that could motivate her to start eating.

'You seem quite fond of a certain monkey, in fact I find it amusing.'

It was her fault, like a foolish little child she had run into his arms, only to be further isolated from him. In a universe as vast as this, she should've known of the consequences, Her Lord knew all.

And What did he know?

Frieza saw the budding relationship that had been created through nothing but playfulness at first, and by most to the outside had been painting the image of pair of rough lovers. But her antics had been nothing more than a pathetic shot to the back, she had been reprimanded for leaving her post and almost given a more 'severe' beating, but her compainain Temo had been given the worst, and she had nearly lost it upon that realization, that her once gracious Lord had pulled back the mantle of emperor to become a monster, even after his death and revival he still clearly had lost his mind.

Now I'm suffering for it.

Even know she could feel the irritating glances and snide comments about her even now. The gossip, and murmurs only continued to degrade her once flawless self esteem. The simple recon scout who lived a carefree life, looking to enjoy herself, have fun, and shoot her blaster a bit had become wholly undone. But she hadn't quite fallen as low as she could, retreating into the bottle had been all that was left.

And she was to blame for all of it.

So amusing, I haven't been this entertained in a long time my little green subject.

Entertainment, that's all she had become.

Just a source of pure amusement as she had been recorded by her Lord. The public displays of affection where the two of them would be able to be lost in each other's arms and bodies. How they had transformed from just simple 'fuck buddies' to more as lovers.

I want you to know that the little monkey's explosive reaction was perfect, i've seen just a taste of his power and all I need to do is harness it. So I must thank you for that, but of course… You must be disciplined for breaking my orders. Any command given by a superior is seen as a direct command from myself.

So… The purple lips peeled into a twisted grin. Let us see how well you scream.

Cheelai felt ever the fool, recounting her first interaction with that man, that drunken gamble, was just a curse that she had tricked herself into believing was a blessing. Her usual brash and reckless attitude about herself and life in general had shielded her from the everyday actions of her past. But, now they were the sole reason she was here right now.

Broly had left a huge mark on her, it left her trembling in his warm embrace, the way his fingers touched her face and how she could wrap up next to him and hear him purr contentment just by being near her.

There was no going back for her, there wasn't any part of her that could forget the number of nights that she shared his bed, shower, and presence with. The world had become such a bleak existence without the blissful image of having him there with her.

And it hurt, it hurt so badly.

He was came from an extinct race, a warrior man, yet a child in every other aspect.

Her stomach grumbled as she remained holding her knife and fork in her palms. The ebbing waves of a meal beginning to no longer tingle her sense of smell and without her long time partner Temo she found herself very reluctant to force anything down. She just blinked down despondent at her own food.

The perfect weapon to destroy those monkey's will be one of their own. It will be truly delightful to watch! But don't feel too bad my little soldier, you've served me so well, I shall reward you with a proper gift that I do all of those who fail to obey simple commands.

Two months Solitary and fifty lashes for her partner.

The loneliness was excruciating, trying to manage to keep her composure. She had maintained an appetite as starvation had been a true threat while in the inner bowels of a prison ship. She felt parched, and ready to begin begging for mercy as she remained locked in total darkness. But If she did beg it would only encourage the guards to take their mercy out on her poor body.

So she held it in.

Cheelai was sure Broly hadn't been informed of her current living arrangement. The two having been separated again and with an entire galaxy between the two of them now. There would be little that she could do except remember, as she was the only true witness to her giant lover's deepest desires and feelings. He had felt something spark because of her and with the smallest of gestures, so insignificant now had flowed into something more.

It… could've been L..L

No, she wouldn't do that to herself. They were lover's and that was it. Broly was untamable, boisterous and able to withstand all but a world shattering blow to make him even bucklet. Truly he was the most powerful being in this universe.

Her mind replayed the few times she'd seen him in combat. Broly appearing ever the bored expression on most occasions as if he were going through the motions. Withstanding a hailstorm of blaster fire to only keep walking untouched. To have buildings dropped on him, explosions designed to flatten cities and he would remain without so much as a scratch. He was a warrior, and a perfect example of a weapon made manifest.

Destruction incarnate had also held her in his arms.

To ignore the feeling that had been filling her everybody was cutting a piece of herself away.

Able to admire her lover's body, looking at it as a truly beautiful thing, her fingers able in the hazy afterglow of a morning slipping down and over the fine contours of his muscles, he was so unlike anyone else.

Her mind had been able to run wild with blissful fantasies about what could be with her saiyan, imaging that no doubt Broly might one day be able to detach himself from this, just as she had slowly begun to do also.

But in those moment's a simple soldier like herself was able to also see the sheer stupidity of her own actions. She had put more than just her body into this, she had mixed in her very heart and soul into something that she would never feel given back to her in return.

She just wished… that she might've gathered some of that same courage and been able to truly confess the deep feelings for this man.

But it was too late.

That was it.

Seperated and there would be nothing of him except her memories.

"Cheelai?"

"Cheelai?"

"Hey-!" A gunting voice came from her side, a hand to her shoulder, bringing her back from her self imposed exile as she looked to a find the source of her newest guest.

"What?" She replied in a low sigh, her depression evident in her voice as she turned to address the only person who was allowed to touch her. Her own loathing for her actions and guilt upon seeing the only other person who had mattered to her life, Temo. Then she might've considered shoving her knife and fork into the offending hand while she was lost in thought.

The aged soldier blinked slightly at the reception. Cheelai had always been a little girl to him, a step daughter of sorts, but he hadn't expected this. Their recent discipline had been making him a tad more wary of his spoken words than normal, but she wasn't one of those.

"I finally got let out." As if his presence wouldn't be a statement enough of that fact to her. "What happened to you… you don't look very well."

"Are you hungry?"

"Huh?"

Cheelai just pushed her foods towards him, she couldn't stomach anything. Justifying that he'd probably need a better meal than she did right now.

"You can eat it." She muttered, her voice low as she just didn't want to have to deal with this. "I'm not putting that in my stomach."

The seasoned warrior could tell something was up, but it didn't take him logn to quickly discern what it was. "You're going to eat, I can tell you haven't been doing much of that." He could visibly see it, her hair having lost that vibrant sheen, the way her cheeks had sullen in and how most notably she didn't have any of that usual pep. Even when she was down there was still some life burning in those eyes and right now he could see none of it.

Cheelai's partner took a ginger seat next to her, even though he had been healed the pain of his injuries had not, as he reclined backwards noticing that she was visibly upset. Ever since they had become partners they had created well laid out boundaries for each of them. His role to be her lookout and pseudo father figure, he had no imagination of having relations with the young eager scout. The two of them would require each other to survive and make it through their conscripted tenure.

Finding trust in another being in the galactic empire was few and far between. Knowing that most others wouldn't hesitate to put a knife in their back if given the chance to rise in ranks.

The older man however knew better, "You're going to eat." He said pushing the food back to her. Finding her like this only made him way to step into the shoes of her father, protective of the girl who had come to be a part of his life. Yet as he watched he knew that this was more than that of a bitter moody teeanger or girl having one of those spouts.

Frieza had said or done something to her.

And she was hurting badly.

It was widely known that Frieza had quite the fetish for reducing those whom he punished in the most degrading of ways. Imaging the ways a twisted tyrant could have brought about terrible torment upon a young woman like her… he didn't want to picture it.

With more than a first hand account of how those sessions were, he dreaded hearing that his adoptive daughter had to endure that first hand. Trying to picture that somehow this behavior had come from a self imposed punishment of herself in an attempt to break the grip of ehr punishment.

But as he looked at her, there were obvious missing scars, she didn't horribly reek of some long imposed torture session- that was far more common than he would ever admit- she also wouldn't be out here so openly in public. Those who were suffering would often retreat within their own personal quarters and remain away from the rest of those around them to be reminded of how they were treated by their fellow 'comrades'.

Though there was only one other thing that could possibly be ripping at his little girl's heart right now. These abnormal changes were just the beginning of a dangerous precedent that could led her down a road of complete self destruction.

Temo could guess, it was her boyfriend like crush on the saiyan, where he had once imagined the two of them were just dealing with stress and hormones that sometimes dominated thought mind and reason for as long as it was that youthful blood pumping in their veins. As Cheelai's youth had obviously taken like so many others in the service of Frieza. Jumping from mission to mission instead of the much deprived fun that most young adults craved.

But then it kept happening.

Once,

Twice,

Thrice,

And Four times again and again.

It was obvious to anyone with half a brain and a shred of morality left in their soul, that this wasn't some lust filled tryst.

A full born relationship and been born between a young woman and a powerful warrior.

Temo cut a fresh slice of her meal off and then offered it to her. Like a father would to a young child. These past two months apart had only reinforced his protective instincts for her. He refused to let her do this to herself, there was always a chance, a slim sliver of hope that could give purpose to keep going just that one more day.

It took almost several minutes of watching and looking at those defeated purple eyes, hoping that she would not give up on him. If her stupor continued and began to affect their job it would more than likely mean both of their lives would be forfeit. He had to keep strong for her, he'd lived longer and suffered through similar trials and tribulations before, he didn't want to give up on her. She was his reason for living.

His patience was paid off after long enough as Cheelai opened her mouth and he put in the food. Watching the way she began to chew and he graced her with a smile, the young woman hadn't given up yet.

She wasn't defeated yet.

He kept cutting up her food and feeding her, the simple kind act meaning more to the young woman than anyone else would know. She would not be held down… but like anyone, sometimes you needed that helping hand to get you over a difficult hurdle and cross the seemingly insurmountable obstacle with a bit of encouragement.

"What happened?" Temo asked, setting down her silverware after she had eaten the majority of her food. Pushing aside the tray he observed the way Cheelai's hands tightened into fists, the restraint she was trying to show for some reason.

Hopefully he'd get to what was bothering her, though the guesses were quite few. After all with the gossip in the air of a certain section of the galactic fleet beginning to make preparations to head to a distant corner of the galaxy that was well beyond any travel that the empire bothered sending anything to due to the sheer remoteness of this galaxy.

He'd come back to hearing these rumors, and with the recent ending of his punishment. With the hopes of some normalcy returning, but of course nothing ever went back to the way things were. Especially since Cheelai and Broy's long standing tryst. Finding affection was rare, sure one night stands popped up, the occasional drunken bender were also not uncommon, but a serious relationship? That was truly rare, because anyone could become a target that could be exploited by a rival.

Though one might ever see Broly as a exploit of Cheelai, but in that same virtue that would put her in anyone's path for revenge against the saiyan. Though the sheer pain one might imagine being subjected too by Broly would probably abate a majority of those threats, though not all.

What Temo or even Cheelai could possibly have imagined was the cruel intentions of their twisted tyrant falling upon them, turning their lives into a mere game. But, what was one to believe when serving one of the most savage and terrible leaders in the universe existence. Like one might scratch an itch, he and Cheelai were nothing by comparison to the alabaster lizard.

But if a man like Broly who had lived alone and isolated was put in similar positions like the thousands before to be used simply for amusement or some ulterior motive they wouldn't have seen it until it was far too late. The game that Cheelai had played with was nothing compared to the galactic chess board that buried thousands like the two of them on a daily basis.

There was only servitude until the expiration of their contracts, though less than ten percent of all soldiers survived their long careers. Most being used as sacrifices in some campaign, if by luck surviving one to be pushed to the next one. Cullign the weakest and noble minded and leaving only the strong and cunning left. The elite of Frieza's army who rejoiced in their positions of slavery as an excuse to act out their most violent and depraved fantasies with the blessing of their overlord.

But they were not that.

Just grunts, cannon fodder for the cannon fodder.

The planetary trade propaganda recorded and played beatings daily so that those who might ever get the faintest tingle of rebellion or treason to be reminded of the terrible torture and humiliation that so many millions before had to suffer through. It was down right Brutal and deplorable and it served its purpose and kept many subjugated without question.

Though Temo hadn't imagined he'd ever of been on the near receiving end of it. But clearly he had been wrong, the mocking laughter of the head torture master or pain giver had been long and blinding.

"What happened to you?" His fatherly concern showing as Cheelai's bottom lip quivered but she did not spill her tears. Long ago she had lost that ability to survive, tears of pain from and injury were one thing.

But no soldier cried. Those that cried were left to die.

Gathering her voice for a moment as she fought down the burning pain in her eyes. "T...t..Two months in the hole."

"I see…" Temo finally spoke, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Was that all?" Though he didn't want to push for further details if he didn't need too. But a part of him needed to know.

"No, the asshole…" Her voice dripping with bile and hate. "He took him as his new weapon."

"Is he alive?" Temo was unsure of how to address the myriad of problems that would ensue from this conversation. "We can look through other logs, perhaps try and locate him."

"I won't put you through that again… I won't do that to myself again." Cheelai didn't hesitate to put that forward. Her care and desires for Broly couldn't cause the suffering of her partner, he wasn't apart of her sins. Merely a passerby and she couldn't let him be punished for her own misconduct.

Until he had come back she had felt cold, but now it felt a little warmer, yet nothing could fill that void in her chest.

He didn't know or even understand how he could feel her emotions as if they were his own. He'd been able to just understand what she was saying and feeling.

"I know that you don't mean that Cheelai." Temo said, his words bringing her face up towards him.

"How would you know?"

Seeing her try and attempt to remove herself from this situation, to become emotionless and detached was not what he wanted for her. Cheelai's spirit is what made her what she was, seeing her transform into something she clearly wasn't would destroy her.

He couldn't have that. "There's few things that I can claim to understand with a certainty and one of them is you."

"Stop pretending to be my dad or something." She scoffed, giving her partner a dirty look.

But the orange veteran wasn't deterred by a snarky female.

"I'm not your father, you're far greener than the woman I used to have."

"Don't give me that shit, look I get it you think that somehow me getting back with Broly will solve everything! Well guess what it won't! Broly's fucking gone!" She pounded her fist on the table, her bitterness at feeling her lover stripped away from her still visibly evident. Had there been some measure of amicable parting she doubted she'd feel this terrible, but she blamed herself.

"I'm not pretending that's the only reason, you damn girl. I saw it, and for me to act as if I would so coldly turn my head away and deny you some measure of happiness then i'm no better than the sick mother fucker who laid me up in that torture cell. You two aren't just little fuck buddies I can see that clearer than day."

The veteran grabbed the younger girls hand with his own. The strong but firm grip was there to reassure her that he was there for her, that his care and concern for her was genuine as they had been together for nearly two years.

In that time, Temo and Cheelai were nothing more than scouts, scouring the infinite wastes for enemies, resources, and allies all the same. They were always expendable, and trying to go through the motions that they held some value would be a falsehood. They were nothing better than slaves and stripping the one tiny thing that Cheelai had from her would be nearly killing her.

From his time in the galactic empire he may have wanted his own slice of that elite pie, to enjoy all the perks and joys of being one of the biggest and baddest. But as he aged he began to see what it would take and sacrifice. His very soul, principles, and break a morality he had never deviated from, crossing that line would turn him into that same beast that was their master.

As a man… no as a living being with a piece of his soul left, he would not let that lizard dictator steal the only pure heart he'd seen since his wife had departed this life. The never ending tide of men, resources, and worlds that he'd viewed in his time, there was not another person like Cheelai.

Or Broly.

To see the struggle in this girls face that she'd no doubt been trying to bear for these last two months without any sort of reassurance or help. In the view of any other soldier there wasn't a single damn thing worthwhile about her save her appearance while she suffered. There was something consuming about the way she struggled to try and push down her wild nature to rush out and find the man who had made her more than just a pretty face.

They were pure.

"If there's one thing i've learned from you Cheelai…" Temo chuckled though still wincing from his once previously broken ribs. "Just take that leap of faith."

Cheelai could feel that meaning resonate within her, as she'd never truly had anything. Ever since joining she'd only known just him and the constant pressures that all lower ranks had to go through. In a universe this hellish that sought only to break the spirits and wills of those beneath it and mold them into the darkness that had been spawned from it. She had always done her own thing, following her instincts as the only measure she had left.

Living Free…

Free

And then Broly. He had appeared from nowhere, the monstrous hulking warrior who seemed unmoved, with coal black eyes that could swallow her whole. His bravado and overbearing exterior though were just his protection, because he was alone. Not even his father mattered in his life. Though as she pictured her lost lover… did she dare speak those words to even herself?

It was insane. But was it… Love?

He had left a mark upon her heart and even though he was reckless and unable to ever express emotions that he could barely understand. Losing him was the same as cutting off one of her limbs, and no self pity or wallowing would ever be able to fill that void.

To live alone and safe… or throw yourself into the winds on a leap of faith?

"Cheelai?" Her partner's voice bringing her moment of reverie back as she felt his thumb squeeze her palm.

"So… are you up for it?" The old veteran smirked at her, though afraid of the repercussions as they probably had little to no real chance of success. But hell what else did he have to live for right now?

"Am I… up for it?" She asked her eyes shaking slightly as Temo withdrew a scouter and set it on the table.

The old wrinkled salt just proudly grinned, "If you know the access codes for the communication logs. You can look through an entire base's codex and logged messages from the entire empire if… you know my secrets." It wasn't hacking… but well it was close enough. "Frieza, Broly, Paragus, and several platoon's are heading to a planet called Earth."

Earth? "What's so special about Earth?" Cheelai didn't get it as Teemo flipped through some files.

"There's two big things on Earth, one it has other… saiyans, namely the former Prince and another documented saiyan called Goku. They all reside there," The infamous prince and the man who had killed frieza not once but twice (excluding his rescue and rebuilt body as not a death). "Frieza is taking Broly there, an angry saiyan who's loose control without you is now ready to be unleashed upon the Lord's most bitterest of enemies and while he's there Frieza also noted the presence of something else… he had gone to Namek years past to obtain these but never did."

Cheelai's face shifted as even she knew about that expedition, the entire empire did. Namek, though it was nothing but rubble now, held a power… one of Magic. The ability to grant a Wish.

"Well now, i'm just thinking out loud. But think about it, we're scouts and we know how to get in and out of most locations without being seen if we put our minds to it… so how about we borrow some of that magic for ourselves?"

Her eyes winded a flash of shock and disbelief at what this old man was telling her. "Are you saying?"

He nodded, "I'm saying exactly that."

Cheelai couldn't believe it as she got up from her seat and grabbed the scouter, almost knocking over the entire table as Temo saw the old woman start to emerge from her self imposed cocoon.

"Well?" Her eyes now looking at him.

"Well what?" The orange alien replied.

"We're leaving and you're still sitting here." Cheelai growled with some hint of irritation.

"Could be dangerous."

"I don't care," She said that fire sparking in her eyes, To hell with Frieza! To hell with this whole rotten empire!

"We don't have a ship." His calm words only fueling her spirit even more as she grabbed her blaster from her hip and twirled it in her fingers.

"But we do… have these." She stated slapping it back in the holster on her belt beside her. Laughing he raised up a hand to her, her gloved fingers wrapping around his outstretched hand and helped pull him up. It was now or never and no chance to look back on their lives.

They were leaving.

Perhaps it was a bit suicidal, but if Temo was with her, Cheelai wasn't going to attempt to defy Frieza without him. This was her chance, and it just might… barely... work out.

And that was good enough for her.

R&R

Kerghan