Chapter 4: Unsettling News
"Hey, Bulma! Hey, Chichi!" Krillin waved cheerfully at the two before sticking his bald head in the fridge. "What's to eat?"
"Krillin, what are you doing in there? My parents spent forever preparing food for the party. You can't tell me all the buffet tables are empty!" said Bulma, grateful her friend was unaware that ChiChi had been grasping her wrist a moment ago. She could still feel the warmth of her fingertips tingling on her skin. Bulma glanced up at her to find her looking pointedly in another direction.
"Hate to break it to you, Blue," Krillin said, "but Goku arrived just a while ago. He and Vegeta have been wiping out the party trays like starved hyenas. They're either revving up for a match or determining who can gorge the most coleslaw in under a quarter of an hour." He gave her a wry grin.
"Oh! Goku decided to show up, DID he?" ChiChi crossed her arms and sneered as she rose from her chair. "How nice of him to send you, Krillin, so we could all know of his arrival."
"What do you mean?" Krillin's voice trailed off, though, as ChiChi stormed out of the kitchen. Bulma's eyes followed her, gazing at her swaying hips until they were out of sight. She wondered what ChiChi would say when she confronted her tardy husband and halfway hoped her irritation would induce her to forget what happened between them. Or at least, all the bits where Bulma made a fool of herself.
In an attempt to distract herself from her thoughts, Bulma turned around to see what so many new people were doing in her kitchen. Krillin had discovered some tasty-looking leftovers and was hauling tupperware out of the fridge, while Piccolo and Dende stood muttering in the corner of the counter islands. They were talking in a foreign language, but Bulma could tell they were arguing over something.
"And what are you two discussing over there?" she said.
"None of your concern," Piccolo grunted.
"Excuse me?" Bulma arched an eyebrow at the Namekian.
"Erm, what Piccolo means to say is that it's rather a sensitive subject matter," Dende said, hoping to create finesse where there had been none.
"Sensitive subject matter?" Bulma gave the Nameks another strange look. "Whaddaya mean?"
Piccolo glared at Dende, who wrung his hands anxiously.
"Well, I can't easily say." Dende looked at Bulma with a plea in his eyes, as if he were wordlessly trying to convey, "Don't ask me more. It would be awkward for both of us."
Bulma was too shook up from earlier to care. She sashayed over to the counter and crouched over to meet Piccolo and Dende eye-to-eye.
"Come on, boys. You know I can keep a secret," she said, winking.
"Are you deaf, woman?" Piccolo growled. "We can't tell you and we're not telling you. We're having a PRIVATE conversation."
"Seems a PARTY is a pretty crummy place to have a PRIVATE conversation," Bulma said. "Especially in front of your hostess. Besides, ChiChi and I were in the kitchen here before you two. Why'd you even come in if you needed privacy to talk?"
"Actually, Bulma, we came in because we ARE planning on telling you... some of it." Piccolo growled as Dende continued. "We were just debating how much exactly to say."
Krillin, who had finished microwaving a plate of leftover Chinese takeout, sat on the counter and joined the conversation.
"Hey, if you're all going to be sharing secrets, I want in on the juice too," he said, tipping his chopsticks in their direction.
"This is not idle gossip!" Piccolo barked. He turned to Dende and scolded him. "I told you this was not to be discussed until we returned to Kami's Tower. Your inexperience belies you again. Now, human tongues will be quick to wagger."
Dende took a deep breath and replied, "These are not typical Earthlings, Piccolo, and you should know that by now. As Guardian of the Earth, I do wish to share this... unsettling news with them. I believe they may be able to help us—Bulma in particular. I had simply come to you hoping your experience would help me find the smoothest possible way of conveying the matter."
"It is foolish," Piccolo grunted.
"It is my decision, and it is final." Dende turned away and gave a strained smile to Bulma and Krillin. "I do not want to be a party crasher, but there isn't likely to be a more opportune time in the future where all the Z warriors are gathered."
"Oh boy," Krillin gulped. "This is already sounding bad. Can't the Earth stay safe for more than five minutes at a time?"
"Chaos is the natural order of the universe," Dende smiled sadly, "paradoxical though it may be."
"What's up, Dende?" Bulma asked, feeling increasingly concerned. She wished it were only this troubling bit of news that was disconcerting her, but she also couldn't help wondering where ChiChi was now, what she was doing, and when they would talk again. Of course, Piccolo's glare reminded her to stay focused.
"Well, you might want to sit down and brace yourself for this piece of news," Dende said. "It's not exactly an easy pill to swallow. If my suspicions are accurate, we are indeed in grave danger."
"Stop dancing around the point and tell them if you're going to tell them," Piccolo barked.
"Yeah, Dende, you're starting to freak me out," Krillin added. "What's going on?"
Dende took a deep breath. "Alright. This is going to come across as rather blunt, since there really is no nice way going about it. Try to take the news as best as you can.'
'As you all know, over a decade ago we were faced with the prospect of universal imperialism. Frieza was lord of all the galaxies, and he was intent on attaining eternal life with a wish from the Namekian Dragonballs. He killed thousands of people in his conquest, and millions of others were enslaved and stripped of their political freedoms. The Guardians of the Universe were forbidden from intervening by cosmic force, and so the situation only worsened over time. Luckily, as you all know, Goku was able to end Frieza's rampage on Namek, and Trunks neatly ensured his demise when he returned to Earth.'
'What I didn't realize until very recently is that someone has been trying to… well, someone has been trying to revive Frieza since then."
"WHAT!" Both Bulma and Krillin jumped from their seats, jaws agape. Bulma could feel her heart start racing uncontrollably. Someone was trying to revive Frieza? Her thoughts were soon replaced by vocal outrage.
"What do you mean someone is trying to revive Frieza?"
"How did you find out about this?" Krillin chimed in.
"Are they trying to locate the Dragonballs?"
"I thought we managed to defeat all their ilk!"
"Do they know he was killed on Earth?"
"Do they know we killed him?"
Piccolo rolled his eyes, giving Dende a look that clearly showed he had predicted this would happen and Dende would have to fish himself out of the water. Dende shut his eyes and took a deep breath, before raising his hands to calm the two humans.
"I know it is a shocking bit of news," he acknowledged.
"Damn right it's shocking!" Krillin exclaimed.
"But we have to maintain our composure!" Dende asserted. "Flying into a panic will do us no good. You all should know that!"
"Okay, fair enough," Bulma said, her voice strained. "But Dende, you have to be straightforward with us. Who is it that's trying to revive Frieza?"
Dende looked Bulma squarely in the eye. "His mother."
"Frieza has a mother?" Krillin yelped, giving voice to Bulma's thoughts.
"Yes," Dende said, nodding his head. "She works behind the scenes mostly, but she's there. She's always kept track on the progress of her husband and their two sons."
"Unbelievable!" Krillin said.
"But, wait," Bulma interjected. "Why is she a threat all of a sudden? Frieza has been dead for years. So has King Cold. And Cooler! If she were all concerned about her boys, wouldn't she have been addressing the problem, like, ten years ago?"
"Not quite," Dende replied. "You all may not realize this, since the Earth is relatively distant from other populated parts of the universe, but chaos ensued with the collapse of Frieza's empire. Hundreds, if not thousands, of gangs were formed, and they all fought for their own share of the open galaxy. Figuratively speaking, it was the first day of hunting season for all the greedy mongrels of the universe. The consolidation of total power in one despot's hands split into many oppressors'. Some lands have been lucky enough to reconstruct and restore peace, but even then they must battle against the factions trying to subsume them.'
'Frieza's mother was forced to flee as a political refugee when word spread of her son's demise. After all, which of her attendees seriously was going to stay and defend the remnants of a fallen empire? Half of them had been forced into slavery and this was their slice of a chance at freedom. If they didn't flee, they were going to kill her in order to prevent any possibility of the Ice-jinn throne's revival."
"So, where did she go?" Bulma asked.
"An excellent question." Dende furrowed his brow. "I'm really not sure myself. While I certainly have a high level of awareness as the guardian of this planet, my understanding of events in other parts of the universe is still quite limited. Based on the snippets of information I've received, I speculate that for several years she was simply in hiding. She may have disguised herself as a commoner or simply found an underground unit for cover.'
'What is more clear is that she is back in the picture now. An Ice-jinn spacecraft has clearly been detected by another Guardian, and it's moving at a rapid pace in a nearby galaxy. The ship is apparently making a course for Namek, which—as you know—is home to the original Dragonballs."
"But the Namekians have hardly had a chance to enjoy their rebuilt home!" Krillin cried.
"Clearly, it's not of importance to Frieza's mother," Dende said.
"How do you know for sure, though, that the Dragonballs are what she's after?" Bulma asked. "After all, how does she even know what the Dragonballs are? Did Frieza ever communicate to her that the Dragonballs were his reason for being on Namek? I mean, this isn't anymore reassuring, but couldn't she just be heading there for revenge?"
"The reason I think not is because Frieza's mother is not nearly as powerful as her male kin," Dende replied. "She is rumored to be a brilliant tactician and a psychological expert, but she lacks physical strength. That is why she depended so much on her sons and her husband to exert violent control over the kingdom. That also is why she hasn't risen to power herself yet and taken control of the many warlords battling over territory. It's my guess she's been waiting for the right moment to strike. She could have stolen this ship and is trying to be discrete in her plans to revive her son. She probably wants the element of surprise on her side."
"So how does she know about the Dragonballs then?" Krillin asked. "They're not exactly well-advertised. Even on Earth, only a few of us know about them."
"It's true that even with Frieza's demise, the Dragonballs remain a well-protected secret," Dende said. "Part of their magic is that they are so unknown. Frieza's mission to Namek was no secret, though, and records were made of his mission via those military scouters.'
'Frieza had been on the prowl for immortality long before he knew about the Dragonballs—which is why his scientific support team was so quick to repair his broken form with cybernetic limbs after his battle with Goku. For years, they had been researching an assignment focused on extending Frieza's lifespan. The problem was no amount of scientific research would ever compare to the divine magic of the Dragonballs.'
'The likelihood that knowledge of the existence of the Dragonballs has spread throughout the galaxy and reached Frieza's mother's ears through mere chit chat is highly unlikely. She must still have access to private records or communication devices. She certainly supported her son in his quest for eternal youth, so it's no surprise that she's researched on her own to find a way to bring him back."
Piccolo, Dende, Bulma, and Krillin all remained silent for a time. The new information was unsettling, to say the least. There was no way to easily digest it. Bulma had a million questions. It seemed only a matter of a time, though, before she asked the one that had been lingering in her head since Dende had opened up to them.
"Dende, how did you find out about all this exactly?"
With a side glance at Piccolo, Dende only reluctantly replied. "That's where I'm afraid I can't share anymore information with you, Bulma Briefs. How I obtain my information as Guardian of the Earth must remain confidential. I must humbly request that you trust me."
Bulma and Krillin looked at each other and shared a sigh. They should have known.
The blue-scientist gave the Earth's Guardian a weary look and asked a different question: "So now what do we do?"
Chapter 5 to come...
~Fina Arvanthol