Chapter Thirty-Nine: For Whom the Bell Tolls (Part I)
Make his fight on the hill in the early day
Constant chill deep inside
Shouting gun, on they run through the endless grey
On they fight, for the right, yes but who's to say?
For a hill men would kill why?
They do not know!"
For Whom the Bell Tolls - Metallica
DBZ
Captain Ginyu wrinkled his nose in obvious disdain as he regarded the remains of frail Earthlings splattered across the ground in front of him. Arms, legs, and torsos; blood, gore, and entrails; heads, hands, feet, and fingers littered the city street like the scattered pieces of a puzzle. Recoome and Burter were clearly enjoying themselves as they took turns chasing a small group of these pitiful beings back and forth down the street, occasionally adding more body parts to the mix. It was a childish game that Ginyu would normally have indulged in along with his men; but his experience on Jynn-jin 13 had more than rattled him, leaving a lasting impression on his psyche.
Tettuce wasn't the first opponent he'd met that had outclassed him; but he'd definitely been the first to escape his body changing technique. His prior victim, his current body's siring body, had been a powerful space pirate he'd encountered while working to clear a planet for Frieza. The body he'd had prior to that had been an elite class, possibly equal in standing with Dodoria or Zarbon; but by no means had it been his original body. He couldn't even remember what his true body looked like anymore; he'd inhabited dozens throughout the years.
But all of those bodies he'd been successful in stealing. Tettuce had been the first to escape his grasp, and the power he'd had…The thought of barely missing out on such power made Ginyu growl low in his throat, drawing a curious glance from the tall, short-haired Akatian standing stoically at his side. The newest member of the Ginyu Force was wearing a blue scouter and standard gold and black battle armor with two shoulder guards, two thigh guards, and a crotch guard; beneath it he wore full-bodied black underarmor. Ginyu returned the glance but said nothing.
The Akatian definitely wasn't his first choice in squad members. Ginyu usually preferred members that were flashy and outspoken, but this Akatian adamantly refused to execute any of the poses the Ginyu Force was known for. It frustrated the Captain and he'd made mention of it numerous times to the Akatian; but the Akatian merely gave him a scornful glance and simply said 'no.'
Despite this, Ginyu had to admire the man's efficiency. Upon landing on this rock known as Earth he'd immediately set about indiscriminately destroying the surrounding landscape. He'd demolished several buildings and killed dozens—maybe hundreds—of Earthlings before Recoome and Burter began to protest that he was stealing all the fun for himself.
Hani, the Akatian, had been perplexed by their complaints. He'd landed and then they immediately took to blasting and killing. Since then he'd preferred to just watch in silence.
Ginyu smiled thinly, drawing an arched eyebrow from the white-haired, red-skinned alien. He was taller than Jeice by several feet, and his features weren't as angular either. His nose was more rounded; his blue eyes smaller and less arched, giving him a more passive gaze; but his cheekbones were far more prominent than Jeice's. To top it all off, Hani's build gave him a striking similarity to Recoome, though he was shorter than the red-headed giant.
The Akatian frowned as he unwaveringly met Ginyu's gaze. "What?"
Ginyu chuckled quietly and returned his gaze to Recoome and Burter's antics. "Oh nothing. You merely surprise me is all."
Hani's frown deepened. "How so, sir?"
"You're so formal!" Ginyu smirked. "I try to keep tension low and morale high by maintaining a comfortable air amongst my men." The body-snatcher looked at his newest subordinate with an arched brow. "We're a family, the Ginyu Force. You're now our brother, Hani, so you should be out having fun and playing with your siblings!"
Hani blinked in confusion and merely folded his arms in response. He shifted uncomfortably and glanced away.
Ginyu laughed and shook his head. "You'll come around eventually."
"I don't see you joining in the so-called 'fun.'" Hani said abruptly, startling Ginyu. "Is this a sort of test?"
The horned warrior frowned as he regarded the Akatian. "No, it's not. I have my reasons for not participating; I'll leave the fun to you three."
"Hm." Hani looked at Recoome and then Burter before shrugging. "I'll wait; this is just one city out of dozens."
Ginyu grinned. "True. I may join in later my—" He was interrupted as his and Hani's scouters came to life, symbols flashing across his red lens and Hani's blue. He tapped a button on the side of his own as arrows indicated a rapidly approaching power level. He turned until the arrows vanished and he was staring at the wall of a building to his right.
"A power reading greater than 40,000," Hani murmured as he stared in the direction the scouters indicated. "And that's not factoring in the possibility that the owner may be capable of increasing his or her power."
"Interesting observation," Ginyu said, more than a little impressed by Hani's logic. "I wouldn't have considered that a possibility, to be honest." But after dealing with Tettuce, he had to. "I'm curious, nonetheless, to see who this could be."
"As am I," said Hani as he turned to await the owner of the power.
A wild-haired male Saiyan suddenly swooped over a building enshrouded in a purple-white aura. He came to a stop, his aura still burning as he looked first at Recoome and Burter, and then at Ginyu and Hani. After a few moments he made a beeline towards them, charging recklessly towards the ground. At the last possible second he swung his legs around and landed in front of them on bended knee, light as a feather as his aura vanished with a crack. He stood up slowly, his movements deliberately intimidating, as he folded his arms across the breast-plate of his gray and black armor. He scowled at them and Ginyu couldn't help but notice that the Saiyan was young; barely more than a child by most galactic standards.
He had to admire the boy's bravery given his youth, though. He smirked and asked with forced joviality, "So who might you be? The scouter gives you an astounding power for a Saiyan."
The boy looked pointedly at Ginyu, his scowl deepening and taking on a strained look. "The name's Turles; and what you see now is only the beginning." The Captain didn't doubt his claim, but he recognized forced bravado when he saw it.
"I see. Point to you," Ginyu tossed to Hani casually. The Akatian arched a white brow in befuddlement; he was definitely having a difficult time following the actions of the other Ginyu's and their enigmatic (oddball) leader.
Turles snorted and unfolded his arms, lowering them to his sides. "Stow the jokes," he snapped. "I know you ain't here for conversation, so let's get on with it."
Hani scowled. "Are you in a hurry to die, kid?"
The boy seemed to bristle at the comment, but he remained firmly rooted to his spot. "Are you?" he attempted to retort.
Hani sighed and glanced at Ginyu. "Sir. I request permission to—"
Ginyu waved a hand dismissively as he smoothly interrupted, saying, "Do as you like, Hani. You're a member of the Ginyu Force, not some lowly purging grunt. Rule Number One of the Ginyu Force: you do not ask permission of anyone aside from Lords Frieza and Coola, and King Cold. Otherwise you're a free agent."
Hani blinked and glanced at Turles with a shrug. "Whatever you say."
"Wait, wait!" Ginyu and Hani glanced around as Burter came to land in front of them, facing the Saiyan youth and pointing at him. "I know him! He looks like that wild-haired Saiyan on Jynn-jin 13!"
"Yeah," Turles said with a strained grin. "That was Bardock, my brother."
Ginyu scowled as Burter suddenly went rigid, his red eyes widening in latent fear. "Useless lizard," he seethed, causing the blue alien to jerk visibly and look at him in surprise. "Fear has no place among the Ginyu Force; you'd do well to remember that."
Burter gulped but nodded.
"Besides," he declared haughtily, "even if he proves to be stronger than the three of you, he's still got nothing on your Captain."
Recoome touched down beside him. "Who's got what now?" he asked, oblivious to the conversation up to that point. He looked Turles over before scoffing derisively. "Who's the runt?"
Turles snarled and pointed at Recoome suddenly. "Can it all! I want him."
The red-haired giant was understandably puzzled, and it showed as he scratched his head silently. "But I just got here."
"Wrong place, wrong time," the Saiyan seethed, amusing Ginyu. The boy was making every mistake in the book; he was clearly frightened out of his wits. There was no doubt in his mind that the boy knew he was outclassed.
Ginyu laughed suddenly, startling the Saiyan and causing him to drop into a defensive posture. His men glanced at him curiously. "I'll tell you what, Saiyan," the Captain said amiably. "You've managed to put me in a decent mood for the moment, so I'll give you that choice. You want Recoome, then you can have him. However, I highly suggest you bring your A-game." His dark lips stretched into a cold grin. "Otherwise you just might die against him."
Turles tucked his arms to his sides and a purple-white aura roared to life, four different scouters lighting up as his power sky-rocketed. "You'll regret that suggestion!"
Recoome grinned. "Oh goody, this'll be fun." He started walking towards the boy, cracking his knuckles. "I'll go easy on ya at fir—" His head snapped around—his scouter smashed into pieces by the strike—and he was suddenly flying backwards, Turles appearing with his fist outstretched as he watched the giant of a man sail down the street and slam into the side of a building at the end of a three-way intersection.
Ginyu whistled in approval as he regarded the gaping hole left behind by Recoome's considerable bulk. "I daresay you surprised old Recoome. He might even have felt that one." He focused on the symbols on his scouter and his red eyes cut towards the youth just as Hani spoke.
"His power is fluctuating between 45,000 and 48,000. I don't understand." The Akatian frowned as he regarded the boy. "He's clearly in possession of greater power; why doesn't he unleash it all?"
Captain Ginyu grinned. "Excellent observation. It's a rookie mistake, for sure, but he's hoping to use the element of surprise to his advantage." He glanced at the Akatian at his side with a sudden smirk. "What do you suppose his max power reading is?"
Hani shrugged. "I don't see it being any higher than 53,000, but that's a conservative estimate. Saiyans aren't usually known to have power readings higher than 20,000; though Tettuce was supposed to be the one exception."
Recoome—completely unscathed—phased into sight just then and landed in front of the Saiyan, his beady eyes locked on the boy's fierce glare. The giant grinned and said, with a chuckle, "That was impressive, runt. But you'll have to hit me a lot harder than that to hurt me."
Turles took a stance and narrowed his eyes. "I think I can manage that," he said through clenched teeth.
Recoome threw his head back to laugh. "I highly doubt that!"
Ginyu's attention was on his scouter as it began to beep urgently; Turles vanished in the same instant and reappeared to drive his knee into Recoome's exposed gut, doubling the giant over instantaneously. But what had Ginyu's attention was the brief reading of 55,000 that he'd picked up. He looked at Hani to see that the Akatian had caught it, too. Burter—the only other person with a scouter—seemed oblivious to what had transpired.
Recoome was aware, though. He regained his composure and leapt away from the boy, clutching his sore stomach. He winced as he landed several yards away and Ginyu watched as he looked at his armored stomach to see telltale cracks from the strike. Recoome looked at Turles with a frown.
Turles, on the other hand, smiled. "Was that better?"
The red-haired giant grinned. "That was intense. I bet you can't do it—" Turles moved in a flash, striking Recoome with astounding power across his face. He followed with a hooking cross-strike, driving Recoome backwards a few steps. The giant caught the next punch and jerked Turles forward to head-butt the boy in his face, the resulting shockwave sending debris and body parts flying.
Ginyu blinked as both fighters had abruptly gone rigid. He frowned and glanced between the two of them, wondering what had happened when Turles dropped from Recoome's grasp suddenly. The giant stumbled backwards a bit before falling to his back in a cloud of dust, his eyes rolling into the back of his skull.
"What the hell just happened?" Hani asked immediately, his arms unfolding as he looked to where Turles stood rubbing his forehead.
The Saiyan youth forced a grin and looked at the Akatian. "Guess my head's a bit harder than he thought his was. Ugh, still hurt, though," he finished with a pained grimace. He looked at his hand to make sure he wasn't bleeding.
Ginyu frowned as he stared at the Saiyan through the readout of his power level. The shockwave had been punctuated by a reading of 57,000 from the Saiyan, making him just stronger than both Burter and Recoome. But was that his max? It was clear this Turles could lower and raise his ki at will, much like Ginyu himself. But how much of his power was he showing? Had he maxed himself out with that last attack, or was this but the tip of the iceberg? Surely he wasn't as powerful as Tettuce…Right?
Ginyu decided he didn't like this situation; he would be on guard.
DBZ
Turles blinked his eyes furiously as his gaze slid in and out of focus. That'd been a stupid move, head-butting that hardheaded brute. He'd hit him with everything he had and only succeeded in temporarily flooring him. He'd been trying to kill him, but the giant was clearly more powerful than he'd hoped. That was the bad news, with the good news being that Turles had the upper hand here in terms of strength. He could handle the red-headed prick in a one-on-one match. The other bad news was that he still had three more of the bastards to deal with.
He stole a quick glance around at the other members of the Ginyu Force, more than a little surprised that they hadn't stepped in to assist their fallen comrade. Were they just going to let him kill Recoome? It wouldn't have surprised him, given who their employer was…
Turles quickly looked at the prone warrior and made a split-second decision, suddenly leaping into the air and flaring his ki to propel himself towards Recoome's exposed throat in an attempt to finish the fight now. He drove his foot down as he dropped through the air, ready to crush the man's neck into dust.
One of Recoome's massive hands shot up and closed around Turles' outstretched leg; he cursed as he then found his body being whipped through the air like a ragdoll. Before he had a chance to react his face was slamming violently into the ground, the concrete shattering like glass upon his impact.
God damn…Turles was aware of thinking through a foggy mind, the ground beneath him still vibrating. He felt himself being picked up and he forced his eyes open, only to find Recoome's upside down, but no less ugly, face grinning at him.
"Once a runt, always a runt. You didn't last long," the ugly brute said with an air of disappointment. "I was hoping for a bit more fun than this."
Turles allowed himself a chuckle. "You're assumin' I'm already done."
"Well aren't ya?"
"Nope. Pulse Drive!" He cried as he thrust his hand out, index finger pointing towards Recoome's face. Said giant merely blinked as there was a bright flash and then a thin, purple beam lanced forward to explode against his left eye.
"GYYAAGGHH!" Recoome bellowed in agony, releasing Turles and clamping both hands to his smoldering eye. He lurched backwards as he let loose a string of curses, smoke steadily pouring between the crevices of his hands and fingers.
"Captain, should I step in?" Turles heard the Akatian ask as he scrambled to his feet. He eyed the bulky warrior, only to find his ice blue eyes locked on him.
"No, not yet." Turles looked at Captain Ginyu to see him frowning, clearly disagreeing with his own order. What was his game?
"YOU LITTLE RUNT!"
Save that for later! Turles chided himself as he returned his attention to Recoome, to find the giant's good eye glaring at him from between his fingers.
"I'll kill you for that!" Recoome threw his hands down, curling them into fists. Turles grimaced as his attention was drawn to his mangled eye.
Yeesh, what eye? Turles thought to himself; he'd completely obliterated Recoome's eye, leaving nothing but a blackened hole of gore and coagulated blood. It was a wonder he hadn't pierced through to his brain. Does he even have a brain?
The giant was still glaring at Turles, pure loathing pouring from his remaining eye. He suddenly dropped forward, both fists hitting the ground thunderously. He shifted his legs as if he prepared to launch himself into a full-on sprint.
"You asked for this RUNT!" he roared as a violent violet aura exploded to life around his massive bulk. The ground beneath his hands and feet trembled, small bits of debris trembling and rising into the air within seconds.
Burter, the Akatian, and Ginyu wordlessly took to the air, drawing Turles' eye. A little on the confused side he frowned and looked back at Recoome.
"Should I be nervous or something?" he asked with a slight scowl.
"RECOOME! ULTRA! FIGHTING!"
"Oh, hell no!" Turles declared as he launched himself towards Recoome. He couldn't afford to take an attack from this oaf, not when he still had three more opponents to deal with.
"BOMBER!" Recoome finished just as the young Saiyan was almost on top of him. In that instant Turles realized how big of a mistake he made by charging the giant as a tsunami of energy rushed outwards and crashed over him, rolling him violently backwards against his will in a chaotic blend of light, sound, and pain that numbed his senses. Rapid-fire concussive bursts pummeled him all over as he was forcibly driven end over end in what seemed a never-ending assault on his awareness.
Each burst was a shock to his overloaded senses, compounded by the sensation of being forced through whatever building that happened to obstruct his journey. Every nerve in his body screamed as the heat of the attack washed over him and seared through his armor to his flesh.
When it all ceased—the noise, the light, the pain—his senses shutting down as his consciousness retreated into darkness, Turles was aware only of being weightless; as if he was falling into eternity itself.
How pathetic…You couldn't even beat one of 'em…
DBZ
Leta stifled a sigh as she looked at the documents before her. She was seated at a long wooden table opposite the King of Earth and surrounded by the graying members of the Earth Council on Intergalactic Relations, though the Council largely consisted of members from the supposed "most powerful nation on Earth." It was recipe for bias if Leta ever saw a better example. The results were always the same, it seemed. Leta, Surah, and Jeice, as ambassadors of their respective allegiances, would put forth ideas and offers for trade or other forms of Interplanetary Relations, and the uptight ancients of the Earth Council would shoot them down. Whether it was out of fear or disdain, Leta did not know. She had stopped caring months ago. She just knew that every beneficial piece of legislation or documentation that had been written up or presented to the Council had been tossed out, while the Council members seemed only to focus on the things that proved most beneficial to them.
Sure they were making some progress in getting the Earth to a point where it could establish more efficient methods of trade. The Earthlings were openly interested in getting their hands on advanced technology, but mostly weaponry and that posed major problems which did not sit well with Leta or Surah. Jeice, on the other hand, didn't see the issue. Of course that only served to frustrate Leta even more.
"The fact of the matter is," began a stuffy old General as he locked his gaze on Leta, "that these-these aliens made certain promises to deliver advanced technology to us in return for letting them seek sanctuary on our planet. If even half the things they've said about this 'Freezer' character are true, then we put ourselves at great risk by allowing them to stay." He glanced around the room as a murmur of agreement passed through his fellow Earthlings. "It's only fair they deliver on their promises and give us access to their advanced weaponry."
Surah shifted uncomfortably beside her. Leta suppressed a growl and raised her eyes to glare at the military leader. "General," she said slowly. "You are correct: we did promise you access to our advanced technology, but it was not in exchange for allowing us to remain here."
"That-"
"Shut up," she smoothly interrupted, drawing a look of stunned surprise from the wrinkled old man and scattered mutterings from the assembled Earthlings. The furry King of Earth calmly clasped his hands together on the tabletop before him, merely arching an eyebrow in amusement as he regarded the Saiyan princess.
Leta gestured to the General. "Are you finished? Good," she continued before he even opened his mouth. "Every promise that we, the Saiyans and the Gylderians, as well as the Galactic Band, have made to you, the Earthlings of Earth, will be kept. But we did not promise you weapons, and we will not promise you weapons. We did not come to this planet to give you more ways to kill one another."
She stood up in a huff, tossing the papers to the floor in disgust. "That's all you seem interested in as you presume to make demands of us and degrade us as if we're lesser beings. Well, General," she seethed calmly, "you are NOT getting any weapons from us. Your planet is a mess! You've separated yourselves into factions and make claims that your faction is better than the others!"
"We have enemies!" The General declared as he shot to his feet, banging his fist on the table for emphasis. He smirked as many of the other Councilmembers nodded their agreement and turned to Leta expectantly. It was clear where the tide of this meeting was turning to.
"Yes! You do!" Leta agreed as she banged her fist onto the table and it went clear through the glossy wood, startling everyone present and making the General himself jump. She smirked as she pulled her unscathed fist from the jagged hole. "Your enemies are the same as mine, General. And let me tell you that no one on Earth is my enemy, nor would it be wise for anyone to become my enemy..." she deliberately trailed off as she let that statement sink in. "You lot need to grow up a bit before we'll even consider giving you weapons technology. The tech that we are offering to trade to you is for the betterment of your planet as a whole. We are NOT giving you anything that you're going to hoard to yourselves. That's not how this works, General," she said with a scathing glare given to the uppity General.
She grimaced at the growing air of distrust towards her and stepped away from the table. "Although that's exactly what it looks like you're planning to do no matter what I say. You're not interested in making your planet better; you're only interested in how much profit you can make and aiming your guns at the rest of the world. You're acting like children!"
King Furry raised a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat loudly, drawing Leta's attention to him. "Ms. Leta, I assure you that I will not allow that to happen." He cast a disapproving glance to his loudmouth General. "Despite the wants of my entourage here. In fact," he sighed as he pushed himself away from the table and stood up. "I believe we can adjourn this meeting here. It is becoming clear that we are not accomplishing anything, nor are we going to accomplish anything so long as certain members of the Council continuously undermine everything that is said, mentioned, or suggested." He sighed again as he wiped a paw across his muzzle. "My apologies to you, Princess Leta and Princess Surah. I fear that we have only succeeded in further wasting your time."
He glanced sternly around the room suddenly. "Especially given that this meeting was not about technology trade, but about the Galactic Band supplementing our military forces with theirs. We stand to benefit from the added protection from this…Frieza, was it?" he queried with a glance to Leta. When she nodded he continued. "They are offering us advanced protection and the means with which to train our own people to wield the same powers that the Saiyans and Gylderians have displayed to us." He shook his head in disapproval. "Princess Leta is right: Earth must mature before we're ready for that kind of power."
"Your Highness, if I may—"
"General Carrigan, you may not," the King snapped as he turned to face the man. "The matter is closed and that is that. This meeting is adjourned; you may leave."
There was a momentary hesitation as a hush fell over the assembled Earthlings. All eyes were on General Carrigan and their king. Finally Carrigan nodded curtly and there was a shuffling of feet and chairs, as well as scattered sullen faces, as the Councilmembers rose from their seats. Leta sighed and looked at Surah.
She blinked when she saw that Surah's eyes were wide and that her silver complexion had dulled to gray. She looked at her sister slowly, her shoulders beginning to tremble.
"L-Leta…The Ginyu Force…they're here."
Leta immediately spread her senses out and she spun around until she was facing southeast. She felt four distinct powers, three of them all-too familiar.
Just then the doors burst open, one of them striking General Carrigan square in his nose, as a soldier rushed into the room. All eyes were on him as he ran to the table breathlessly. He skid to a stop in front of the King of Earth, his head hanging and his knees shaking violently as he gasped for air.
"Orange Star City is under alien attack!" he cried breathlessly, his words choked and forced. He didn't even bother straightening up to salute. He'd obviously run the whole way to the Council Chambers.
The room was deathly quiet as the news sank in.
Carrigan, sporting a mighty welt on his forehead and a swollen nose, stepped forward and pointed an accusing finger at Leta. "So that's the game!"
She gave him a startled look. "Game? What game?" she demanded with a frown.
"You've deliberately been holding out on weapons so we couldn't defend ourselves against attack, because you're in on it!" He stormed towards her. "It's obvious now that you've infiltrated our society so that-"
"Shut up Carrigan!" barked the king, the hair on the back of his neck raised as he bared his fangs. Carrigan froze and looked at the king in surprise.
"H-highness?" he stammered.
"We do NOT have time for this ridiculous nonsense. The princesses warned us of this possibility numerous times, and as I just said this very meeting was about supplementing our forces so that we would be prepared for a situation like this!" He growled in exasperation as he turned to Leta.
She immediately pulled a scouter from her pocket and activated it. "Jeice, there is a situation in Orange Star City."
"Yeah. I know," Jeice said tonelessly. "My men and I are on our way there now to intercept," he finished grimly.
Leta flinched at his tone and glanced at her sister. "I will contact Turles and have him assist you."
"No need, Princess."
She frowned in confusion and looked at the scouter in her hand. "What do you mean by that?"
"I'm reading two additional powers that don't belong to the Ginyu Force. One is in the city and the other is coming in fast from the southeast. They're both weaker than me, but they'll be more than beneficial in this battle. I'm afraid I underestimated that boy," he added with a chuckle.
Leta smirked as she turned her senses towards Orange Star City. She could feel two powers clashing violently. "Yeah, Turles has a knack for being difficult to gauge. How many men are you taking with you?"
Jeice laughed. "How many do you think? I'm bringing my entire squad. No offense to these guys or anything, but they're average battle power is only around 15,000."
This seemed reasonable. His squad consisted of 10 Super-Elite warriors. With Jeice, Turles, and Etapa there to lend a hand, maybe they'd be able to repel the Ginyu-
Leta snapped her head back and focused her senses on the sky. How could she have been so stupid? So blind? It should have occurred to her sooner to check for Frieza's power! She knew that he was never far behind his precious Ginyu Force, and they were on this rural planet then their master was likely hot on their heels.
"Oh no…" she whispered as her senses were numbed by the immense power that was now washing over her. It definitely felt like Frieza's power, but this could not be in any way compared to the power he'd generated on Jynn-jin was otherworldly, the sheer magnitude of it like a growing pressure that threatened to crush her mind and body into oblivion. She knew it was said King Cold's power was unlike anything else in the entire universe, and that it was even greater than his sons'. But this…this surely was greater than anything even Cold was capable of generating. She couldn't fathom anyone being stronger than this.
She sank heavily into her seat from before, vaguely aware of the many voices probing her for answers. She glanced indifferently around at the faces surrounding her as she carefully placed the scouter on the table before her.
It's hopeless. Tettuce could barely stand against Frieza six months ago and his power then wasn't even a fraction of this. Her hands trembled as she placed them on the table. Beside her Surah was frowning in obvious concern. Leta merely looked at her. Her sister blinked and then looked to the sky as she, too, turned her senses to space. The immediate look of fear told Leta that Surah was of the same opinion.
Frieza had found their sanctuary and he was going to blow it out of the solar system.
DBZ
Etapa was little more than a purple blur to the natives of Earth as she rocketed through the sky in the direction of Orange Star City. Clasped tight in her right hand was a small, translucent orange sphere that held four stars suspended within its core.
She cast it a quick, dubious, glance. Broco used to tell her stories when she was younger, stories he picked up during his years as a member of a Purge Squad. One of the stories that had stuck out the most to her had been about seven mystical jewels capable of granting wishes to whoever was able to gather them all together. Even as a child Etapa had not believed in magic or mystical forces. As far as she was concerned those things were ridiculously improbable, but it had still been a fun story. Even the fruit that Turles had ingested, even though supposedly magical, she felt that its effects could somehow be explained scientifically.
But seven crystalline orbs that could grant wishes? Though it was most definitely impossible, it was well known that Frieza was a big believer in the occult. Etapa didn't have to believe that it was possible; all she had to do was convince Frieza that these things existed and maybe he would hold off on destroying the planet long enough for the Saiyans and Gylderians to escape.
She grimaced as she turned her gaze forward towards Orange Star City. It was a long shot and she knew it. Gohan had been more than willing to hand the jewel over to her once she realized what it was. The story she'd heard had called it a Wish Orb, but Gohan insisted that it was a Dragonball. He also insisted that when they were gathered together a giant dragon named Shenron would appear to grant a wish.
"So…you're telling me that this is called a Dragonball…and that there are seven of them…and when you gather them all together a dragon appears to grant a wish?"
"I ain't ever actually seen it, but yes."
"So basically whoever has all seven of them has this Shenron by the balls?"
"Um…I…guess?"
Even though she cherished the story her brother had told her, she still felt it was absurd. As well as the idea that a magical dragon could appear and grant wishes. She did find it odd, though, that Broco had recounted a story native to such a rural planet as Earth.
She frowned and looked at the orb again. Come to think of it, actually, she couldn't remember where Broco had heard the story or if he'd even said. She supposed that his story was about an entirely different set of magical artifacts, but the fact that there were so many similarities between the Wish Orbs and the Dragonballs was more than a little perplexing. Given the sheer size of the universe it was possible that two different races could have created similar artifacts with similar backstories. But that didn't mean that either of the stories had any truth to them.
She came to an abrupt stop and looked at the city in the distance. She scowled and tightened her grip on the ball until she feared she might crush it. Frieza might buy into the legend, but there was no guarantee the Ginyu Force would see the orb as more than just a bauble. They were more likely to kill her on sight for just being a Saiyan.
A blinding light shone from the city then forcing her to shield her eyes against its brilliance. A moment later she was swept backwards in an intense gale, tumbling end over end uncontrollably. It was several long seconds before she was able to focus on her ki and force herself to a stop. Raising an arm to shield her eyes from the stinging wind, she looked towards the city as the gale began to die down to see a massive cloud of dust rolling through the cityscape as skyscrapers came toppling down. She couldn't help but wince at the level of destruction and the obviously substantial loss of life.
She couldn't afford to stall anymore. She had to do something—anything—to put a stop to this madness. Her aura surged to life and she rocketed towards the city once more, the Dragonball clenched in a death grip.
It wasn't until she was almost to Orange Star City that it occurred to her that Turles might've been caught in that attack. Fear swept through her as she shot into the city limits, lingering clouds of dust concealing much of the devastation. But what she saw told her a tale of mercilessly indiscriminate slaughter, and senseless wanton destruction.
Etapa had to look away as she began to see the scattered remains of so many innocent Earthlings and their children. Would this have happened if the Gylderians and Saiyans hadn't sought sanctuary on Earth? Despite the guilt and responsibility tearing at her, her common sense told her that the Ice-jins would have found their way here eventually; no one was safe from the terror and tyranny of the Cold Regime. The entire universe was at stake, not just one planet amongst trillions in the cosmos.
Etapa came to a stop directly over the epicenter of the attack that had all-but destroyed the city just moments before. She swallowed back her fear as she looked down on the four members of the Ginyu Force; only to see that they were all looking right at her.
But that took just a second of her attention as she realized that she couldn't see Turles anywhere, despite obvious signs of his presence. Namely the big red-haired brute looking like he'd been of the receiving end of a Pulse Drive.
Bastard stole my attack she thought absently as she scoured the ground with her eyes, hoping to see him at any second. But as it became increasingly clear that he was nowhere to be found, dread began to grip her. Followed swiftly by rising anger.
"Looks like another Saiyan has come to die, boys," said the infamous Captain Ginyu. She'd never seen what he looked like before, but she'd heard enough to know him on sight. She assumed that the red-haired alien was the near-indestructible Recoome, and the blue one had to be Burter. The fourth one she noted to belong to the same race as Jeice, but she had no idea who he could be. She just hoped he wasn't as strong as Jeice.
"I'd rather not die," said Etapa tensely. "Especially since I came with a proposition for Frieza." She wiped her thumb idly across the smooth surface of the Dragonball, waiting for a reaction from the Ginyus.
Recoome snorted and sat down heavily on a large chunk of concrete, seemingly frustrated. But he said nothing as his single eye glared up at her.
Ginyu smiled thinly and unfolded his arms as he rose into the air to greet her. He leveled off with her, his crimson eyes boring into her own. He exuded an almost overwhelming air of intimidation. She tilted her chin up a bit as she steeled her bravado.
"Most propositions for Lord Frieza," he began, "are empty, meaningless, threats on his life. They all seem to underestimate Lord Frieza's might, which ultimately leads to their slow painful deaths." Ginyu sneered as Etapa visibly flinched. "How very fortunate for you that I believe you to be of a somewhat superior intellect to those that believe they can outclass an Ice-jin. So, what is this proposition?"
Etapa refrained from breathing a sigh of relief, albeit barely as she knew that his query was not a guarantee for her survival. She took a breath and then held up the Dragonball for him to see.
Ginyu cut his eyes to the orb dismissively. "Trinkets won't save you, Sa-"
"It's not a trinket," she said quickly, interrupting the captain.
He eyed her dangerously, obviously irritated at being cut off. "Then what, pray tell, is it?" he asked with forced calm, his tone deathly even.
"Different cultures have different names for it. I've heard it called a Wish Orb, but on this planet it's called a Dragonball."
Ginyu mock-yawned as he eyed the ball. "Your proposition is a pretty jewel? Frieza might like it, but it definitely won't guarantee you your terms. Which are what, exactly?"
Etapa forced herself to smirk. "It's not just a pretty jewel, Captain. This one here happens to be number four in a set of seven. When all seven are brought together they have the power to grant anyone a single wish."
Ginyu blinked dubiously as he regarded the ball with mild interest. "Preposterous. There's no way that little gem of yours could possess that kind of power." He sighed and shook his head. "I see I was wrong to believe you were smarter than any of the others that have come before you."
"Alright, fine. I'll level with you," she said as nonchalantly as possible. "I really don't believe these things have that sort of power."
Ginyu smirked. "So the truth comes out."
"Whatever you say. I just happen to know that Frieza is fascinated by this kind of stuff. I knew he'd be interested in finding out more about them, so I was counting on that buying us some time. Because if he destroys this planet, then he'll destroy what could possibly be his one and only shot at wishing for anything he could possibly think of." She grinned and glanced at the Dragonball. "Think about it. He could have whatever he wanted: greater power, greater wealth, supreme rule over the entire universe."
She gave a shrug. "Hell he could wish for immortality!" He could wish for immortality! Etapa's blood froze in her veins at the thought of that. If these things really did have that kind of power, and Frieza was able to get any wish he could think of…"He would rule for eternity…No one would ever be able to stop him."
Ginyu gave the ball a curious look. "Hm. You make a fair point. Lord Frieza would be upset if he missed out on an opportunity like this." A sudden glee lit the Ginyu's eyes and he grinned. "This would surely put me back in good standing with him!" He blinked and then frowned. "Provided they actually have that sort of power. I am not sure I want to take that chance."
Etapa grimaced, but said, "I don't think they have that kind of power, but I do think it's odd that I've heard the same story from two different planets. That's got to count for something." Whether she liked it or not she had to stick to her plan, despite her sudden growing fear of the possibility of the Dragonball having actual wish-granting abilities.
He gave her a sharp look. "What do you mean?"
"Like I mentioned earlier I've heard these things called Wish Orbs before. In that story there were seven of them, each with a set number of stars within their core, numbering from one to seven. The story goes that once all seven Wish Orbs were brought together, a powerful wizard would appear to grant a number of wishes to whoever summoned him. The legend here, on the other hand," she continued rapidly before Ginyu had a chance to interrupt her, "goes that there are seven in all, each with a number of stars within its core-"
"That's just the same as the other legend," Ginyu snapped with a frown.
"True, but the Earth legend states that a dragon will appear to grant one single wish to whoever summons him. They're different stories, but they're the same as well." She shrugged as she tried to casually toss the Dragonball up and down, almost dropping it a few times. "That's gotta mean something. Maybe, just maybe, it's possible that these things really have that kind of power. I mean, really, why would a story persist like this? Why would the same story, almost word for word identical, appear on two planets from two different galaxies if there wasn't at least some truth to it?" She glanced at Ginyu, looking at him for the first time in what seemed hours, trying to gauge his reaction.
To her relief Ginyu appeared both intrigued and hesitant. She could tell he was still considering outright killing her, but his obvious reluctance gave her some measure of hope for survival. It did nothing to quell her fears regarding Turles, though. He'd had plenty of time to appear since her arrival, and yet he was still nowhere to be seen. Could he truly be dead?
"While you're considering that, could you tell me where Turles is?" she asked suddenly, causing Ginyu to regard her in confusion.
"Turles? That Saiyan brat?" He waved a hand dismissively. "Recoome took care of him just a few minutes ago."
Etapa's heart sank. "He's dead?" she asked quietly, her voice trembling with the threat of despair.
"Yes, much to Recoome's chagrin." Ginyu smirked as he looked down at the sullen warrior. "He was looking forward to torturing the boy after what he did to his eye. He was wily, I'll give him that," he finished with a chuckle.
"If you only knew…" Etapa whispered as she looked gravely down at the devastation below her. Her grip tightened on the Dragonball and she looked up at Ginyu again, forcing her thoughts away from Turles for the time being, though the tears hanging in her eyes gave away her inner turmoil. "So what do you say? Will you pass this information on to Frieza?" she demanded more savagely than she intended.
Ginyu shrugged. "Sure, why not? It won't really affect anything in the long run, since Frieza will destroy this planet one way or the other. Gathering these trinkets up will only delay what's already inevitable."
"Delaying it is better than not doing anything. Here," she nearly spat as she tossed the ball to him. He caught it easily and held it up to eye level. "They're scattered all over the planet, so finding them won't be easy. The sooner you get started, the quicker you'll find them." She turned, preparing to fly away.
Ginyu phased in front of her. "Ah-ah-ah, where do you think you are going?" he asked, waggling a finger at her patronizingly.
She frowned apprehensively and floated away from him a bit. "You have the Dragonball. What else could you possibly need me for?"
Ginyu shook his head as he chuckled. "I never guaranteed your survival."
Shit. She clenched her fists and raised them slowly. "You said it yourself: I only delayed the inevitable. I'll die either way, so what will it hurt if you let me go for now?"
"Oh, nothing." He grinned as he tossed the ball into the air and expertly caught it overhead with his other hand. "But my men are rather bored and you seem capable of entertaining them for at least a little while. Hani's just been itching to fight."
The giant Akatian looked up at them sharply, his brow furrowing as he regarded his captain.
Etapa eyed the warrior warily, but his gaze was locked firmly on Ginyu. She glanced back up at the purple warrior. "I'm not much for fighting, to be honest. I wouldn't really be able to satisfy them as well as other, more capable, warriors would be able to. I'd just be a waste of time."
"Either way, we'll be able to kill some time," he replied with a sinister chuckle.
Hani suddenly hovered up to their level, frowning as he looked at Ginyu. "I thought we weren't standard purge soldiers?"
Ginyu blinked and glanced sharply at the Akatian in surprise. "What are you getting at?"
"We're warriors, aren't we? Shouldn't we battle warriors?" He looked at Etapa in obvious disdain. "She's clearly no fighter, so where's the sport?"
Ginyu's eyes narrowed as he regarded Hani suspiciously. "You do as you are ordered to do, Hani."
The Akatian scowled as he looked back at Ginyu. "Yes, sir. I understand that, sir. And I would have gladly fought the other Saiyan myself, but that's because he came here looking for a fight. She did not," he said with a gesture towards her. "I will destroy her here and now, if you so order it, but you want to fight her and not kill her outright. That, to me, is torture. And I wasn't under the impression that the Ginyu Force was meant to be a gang of torturers."
"Mind your tongue!" Captain Ginyu snapped, reaching out to take a fistful of Hani's battle jacket. "We are whatever Lord Frieza orders us to be!"
Hani's ice-blue eyes never wavered as he met Ginyu's gaze, while the latter's eyes and cheeks twitched spasmodically with his rage. Their bodies were tense as the silence stretched between them. A battle seemed imminent, Etapa's dark purple eyes darting between the two of them as she was vaguely aware of the other two Ginyus tensely watching the unfolding spectacle. She didn't know what to make of the situation. She'd been under the impression that the Ginyu Force were merciless killing machines. But here was one that challenged that standard.
The Akatian suddenly cut his eyes her way and she felt a swell of panic at the cold resolution in his gaze.
"Fine, Captain. You want her dead, then I'll kill her." He knocked Ginyu's hand away and cast him another glance. "But I will not be a torturer." Etapa's heart stopped as the Akatian's hand snapped up to aim at her. She opened her mouth to scream just as there was a bright flash of red light. She had just enough time to feel the searing intensity of the blast before—.
DBZ
