One Death is a Tragedy, One Million is a Statistic
Zarbon came in with a box and put it onto the table, he sighed, "I'm going to miss you old friend," Zarbon said. It turns out that the box had a name written on it and it said Blacky, better known as Zarbon's Devon Rex.
Later that evening Zarbon was in the boardroom conducting a meeting with the other generals, he was of course the top general and the most accurate one. "Now if we attack here then we will be able to stop the Zargothas from getting to the military base." Zarbon said using a pointer.
"That's nice and all, but what about all around the planet?" asked Frieza.
"But sir we can't just take out the whole planet, in case you haven't heard the rumors the Zargothians are infamous for their lasers that they create." Zarbon said.
"So what, that never bothered me, you need to march your platoon into the canyons and take them out!" Frieza said.
"But sir, that will require some sacrificing of some solders," Zarbon said.
"So what, that's not my problem!" Frieza said taking a sip of wine.
"But Frieza, it would be much..." before Zarbon could finish, Frieza interrupted him.
"Do as I order you to do general Zarbon or else I'll put your head on a stake just like the Ottoman Turks did to their enemies!" Frieza yelled.
Zarbon gulped, "Yes sir."
At the space pod grounds, Jeice kissed Tina on the lips, they went from being enemies to being engaged, and Tina after all loved Jeice ever since they were in preschool.
"I look forward to a big wedding when you come back." He said.
She looked at him sadly, "I have a strange feeling that I won't be coming back." She said.
"What makes you say that?" asked Jeice.
"I don't know I just have a feeling." Tina said.
Tina then continued to say, "I'll miss you." She kissed him on the lips again.
Liya then laughed. "Oh I love the sight of love, remember when we were in love once?" she asked batting her eyes.
"Yes I do, but that was a long time ago when we were kids," Zarbon said.
"Maybe we can get together when our mission is done." Liya said.
"I'll think about it," Zarbon said.
"Let's go, come on Tina time's a wasting!" yelled Zarbon.
"Ok, bye Jeice!" she yelled waving to him.
"Bye Tina!" Jeice yelled waving back, little did he know that that might be the last time he would ever see her alive.
Zarbon, Tina and Liya had to go to Planet Zargotha to imprison the inhabitances, of course Zarbon did not like going on missions. When they got there, it was all quiet in the canyons.
"I don't like this place Zarbon, it's scary." said Tina.
"Well maybe if you hold onto me then we can be safer." Zarbon joked; all the sudden a laser gun flashed and hit Tina in the heart.
"Oh my God, Tina!" Zarbon then bent down onto the ground and held her in his arms.
"Zarbon give Jeice these," she gave him her only pair of glasses.
"And tell him that was I glad that he was my first." She said, then there was no life left in her, she was dead.
"We've been ambushed! I knew this was a bad military move but no, Frieza wanted to fuck it up! Soldiers to your battle stations!" Zarbon yelled.
There were lasers going off everywhere and then a bunch of Zargothians jumped from above to fight the platoon. They shot lasers into a lot of the platoon, most of them dying, while the ones that did survive were shooting fireballs that included Zarbon and Liya and some other people. Liya was winning it looked like.
"Yes I'm the victor!" she yelled, all the sudden Zarbon saw a Zargothian lift up a good-sized rock, too big not to crush someone to death.
"Liya look out!" yelled Zarbon.
"What?" she turned around but it was too late; the Zargothian threw the rock into her knocking her down.
"No!" Zarbon yelled, and then he threw a fireball at the Zargothian killing him instantly.
Zarbon then ran over to Liya and lifted the rock up, she looked like she was crushed and she was bleeding and coughing up blood. "Liya!" he yelled.
"Zarbon leave me here to die!" she yelled.
"No I can't do that! I won't let you!" he then picked her up and hid in a cave until the fighting died down.
Hours later he was still in the cave with Liya who was still coughing up blood, "I think my ribs are broken." She said in a raspy voice.
"How do you know?" asked Zarbon.
"Because I can't feel them, I can't feel my whole body." She said.
"Oh no you're paralyzed." Zarbon said.
"So it's true," Liya said.
"Stay here I'll go and get help!" yelled Zarbon.
"No don't worry about me, hey Zarbon can I ask you something?" she asked.
"Yes what is it?" asked Zarbon.
"Do you still have feelings for me, even though we can never be together?" She asked.
"Don't be silly we are together right now," he then took her in his arms, even though she could not feel him. Of course he didn't still have feelings for her, those died years ago when she dumped him for her trainer who impregnated her. Oh well, that didn't matter now anyways since she was dying.
"I won't leave you, never ever will I leave you'" Zarbon said.
"Zarbon I'm a little scared of death." She said.
"Death is just another part of life, I know it's creepy but you'll be all right, I promise, I'm going to get you some help," he then kissed her on the lips and started crying.
"Promise me something." Liya said.
"Anything," Zarbon said.
"Destroy Frieza!" she said, and with that, she breathed no more, she lied lifeless in Zarbon's arms.
"Liya wake up! Are you still here? Please Liya don't leave me! Don't leave me alone!" he started crying with great anguish.
He kept Liya's corps in the cave and then found a space pod a day later and went back to Planet Freezer.
Jeice was waiting for them to return, however Zarbon was the only one to return from the mission, everyone else died. "Where's Tina?" Jeice asked.
Zarbon looked at him sadly, "She wanted you to have these." He took out the pair of glasses that she was wearing and gave them to Jeice.
"I don't understand," Jeice said.
"She didn't make it, neither did Liya or the rest," Zarbon said sobbing.
"No, this isn't real! This can't be happening!" Jeice then started crying and he and Zarbon hugged each other.
Zarbon and Jeice held a private funeral service in memory of Liya and Tina. There was crying and poor Gilda, Tina's best friend who was supposed to be the bridesmaid was sobbing. To tell the truth though, Jeice was going to break off the engagement with Tina; he never really wanted to marry her. But that didn't mean he wanted her to die.
Later that evening, Zarbon was in his room crying, and Appule and Cui were at the door knocking, "Come on Zarbon, please come out, we have a surprise for you!" Cui said.
"Go away, I don't want to talk to anyone!" yelled Zarbon.
"Come on Cui let's leave him alone," Appule said
"The cook from the kitchen made you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!" Cui yelled.
"I'm not hungry, it's my entire fault! I shouldn't have listened to Frieza's horrible military strategy!" yelled Zarbon.
"Look what happened to Liya and Tina wasn't your fault; it was their time to go!" Cui said, but Zarbon sobbed even more.
"Way to go Cui, Zarbon we're sad that Liya is dead too, but you need to eat something, or else you'll probably starve!" Appule said.
"Then maybe I should starve!" Zarbon said.
All the sudden Miretta, Zarbon's younger half-sister came up to them, "Is Zarbon in the room?" she asked.
"Yes but he won't come out for anything!" Cui said.
"Something horrible has happened!" Miretta said.
"We know that Liya and Tina were killed." Appule said.
"No not that! Something much worse, I need to see him immediately!" Miretta said.
"Ok I'll let you in!" Zarbon said, he opened the door and she walked into the room.
"So what's up?" asked Zarbon.
"Um I don't know how to tell you this, but my husband, your ex trainer has done something terrible." She said.
"Did he hit you again?" asked Zarbon.
"No, he raped Tatiana and got her pregnant!" she said sobbing.
Zarbon's eyes were wide and at that moment, he turned from sobbing to rage, Tatiana was Zarbon's niece, who was behind Lida and in front of Sergey. "He's gone too far this time! I'm going to murder him!" Zarbon was about to go and kick Shasha's ass.
"No don't, I just want Tatiana to get an abortion, and we can just pretend it never happened!" Miretta said.
"Ok let's get her that abortion!" Zarbon said.
After Tatiana got an abortion, Zarbon knew he could take it no more, Shasha could rape all the women he wanted, but why did it have to be Tatiana? Zarbon wanted to protect his sister and his nieces and nephew, so he did the most unthinkable thing in the world, and maybe the fatal mistake of his life, he went to Frieza one night in the bedroom. Frieza was wearing a red robe.
"Hello Zarbon do you like my robe, don't I look good in red?" he asked.
"Yes you do sir, but I've come on a certain matter," Zarbon said. "What would that be?" asked Frieza.
"Well you know how Shasha has been going out with my sister for years now, and that they have three children together?" asked Zarbon.
"Yes and your point is?" asked Frieza.
"Well, they're actually married," Zarbon said.
"What? You're joking right?" asked Frieza.
"No I'm not, they got married when I was about seventeen was it?" Zarbon asked.
Frieza walked up to Zarbon, "You better not be joking, because you know that I have no purpose for marrying off Primal Changelings." Frieza said.
"But they are married sir, haven't you ever noticed the ring on my sister's finger?" asked Zarbon.
"No never!" Frieza said.
"Well and there is something else too, Shasha impregnated my sister's daughter and she had to get an abortion." Zarbon said.
"What? There shall be no incest in this palace! I'll take him off your back!" Frieza said.
"Thank you sir!" Zarbon said.
Frieza smiled rather evilly, "Anytime Zarbon, anytime." He then took another sip of wine.
Yes, that son of a bitch Shasha was getting what was coming to him!
During the middle of the night, Shasha was arrested, and so was Miretta, when Zarbon heard the news, he could not believe his ears, what did Miretta do? In the courtroom, Frieza was the judge, Frieza a judge imagine that. Zarbon was sitting there nervously, and Miretta and Shasha sat on the bench with chains at their ankles.
"Shasha and Miretta, you're both guilty for marrying each other without permission and Shasha is accused of raping his own daughter!" Frieza said.
Zarbon stood up, "Yes Zarbon do you have anything to say?" asked Frieza.
"Yes I do, what is she being held accounted for?" asked Zarbon.
"Because she married Mr. Shasha and she has to pay for it." Frieza said.
Zarbon's eyes grew wide, "But isn't that a little harsh?" he asked.
"Silence or you're next pretty boy!" Frieza yelled pounding the mallet on the stand.
"Therefore the punishment is death!" Frieza continued.
"Wait, can't you grant them mercy just this once?" asked Zarbon.
"No sir, I can't do that, you mean have them beheaded right?" asked Frieza.
"If I can't save them, or at least save Miretta from certain death, then sure." Zarbon said.
"Nope isn't going to happen, give them the oldest execution method known to man! Burn them at the stake!" Frieza said.
"Please have mercy!" yelled Zarbon. Frieza looked into Zarbon's eyes, and could see how upset he was.
"Ok," Frieza said.
"Thank you Frieza!" Zarbon said.
"As soon as their corps stop burning, you can gather their ashes and put them in urns!" Frieza said, he laughed and then pounded the mallet on the stand. That wasn't even very close to being merciful! If one were to look at it from Frieza's point of view no matter how immoral he was, it was the kindest thing he was even capable of doing.
In prison, Shasha and Miretta were in separate prisons, Zarbon went to visit Miretta and Dodoria, who was Shasha's best friend in the world, visited Shasha. In prison Zarbon bought Miretta some water, she drank the whole damn bottle down. "I hope you're all right, I'm sorry I told Frieza that you and Shasha were married, I thought honestly that Frieza was just going to punish Shasha only." Zarbon said looking sad.
"It's all right, at least you kept my children safe, and that's all that matters to me." Miretta said.
"Please I don't want you to burn at the stake Miretta, what would father say?" Zarbon asked.
"You have to tell father what happened to me; let him know that I'm pretty much shit out of luck." Miretta said.
"I'm going to miss you, why did you have to go so soon? Maybe I can rescue you somehow and get you back onto Planet Primal." Zarbon said.
"No don't you'll die trying; I want to keep you safe too." Miretta said.
"But I don't want you to die," Zarbon said.
"Everyone dies, not everyone truly lives." Miretta said.
"Please I don't want you to die," Zarbon said sobbing.
"It's ok brother; I'll always be with you." Miretta said petting Zarbon's hair as he had his head in her lap.
The next day Shasha and Miretta, forcefully tied to a post back to back, they were both afraid about what awaited them. Zarbon forcefully had to watch them die, and then Frieza raised his hand high in the air.
"Any last words before I have you both burned to a crisp!" Frieza said.
"Yes let me go! I didn't do anything to deserve this!" Shasha said.
"I don't know about that, incest is a pretty horrible capital offence, you could have ended up having retarded offspring!" Frieza said laughing.
"Frieza, why do you have to kill Miretta? Why not Shasha? He's the one who's at fault her, Miretta was just a naïve girl who thought she fell in love with him, and married him. She was too young to know what love was! Please don't kill her!" Zarbon said panicking.
"Burn them! Burn them! I want to watch this happen, give me the bag of potato chips Zarbon!" yelled Frieza.
Zarbon started crying and handed the bag of potato chips to Frieza. Frieza started munching on the potato chips as the executioner started the fire and as Miretta and Shasha started dying and screaming as the flames and smoke started killing them. While listening to their blood curling screams, Zarbon then swooned right in front of Frieza.
"Well that didn't go as planned." Frieza said callously. What could you expect of a sociopathic tyrant like Frieza?
Zarbon woke up hours later, "What happened?" asked Zarbon who was in a room surrounded by Appule and Cui.
"You fainted," said Appule.
"Oh boy I had a horrible dream that my sister and Shasha were being burned at the stake!" Zarbon said.
Cui and Appule looked sadly at Zarbon, "Its true isn't it? I have to stop the execution before it starts!" Zarbon said getting up.
"It's too late, they're gone." Cui said sadly.
"No it's not true!" said Zarbon.
Zarbon hours later just sat in front of the stake staring at Shasha and Miretta's ashes, Vegeta that snotty prince who was said or rumored to have the ruthlessness of Iosif Stalin, the narcissism of Mao Zedong, and the impulsiveness of Adolf Hitler, came up to him. "What can I say, I didn't except much from your sister Zarbon, and she was a slut anyways!" Vegeta said laughing.
Zarbon got so pissed off that he threw Vegeta up against the wall, "Look Miretta liked you as friend, how could you say that about her?" asked Zarbon.
"Because I have no more feelings for her, so long pretty boy!" Vegeta laughed and skipped along his marry way to go do a mission.
Zarbon then turned away from Vegeta walking away, and gathered up the ashes of both his sister and Shasha, he then knocked on Dodoria's door, Dodoria answered it crying, "What do you want?" he asked.
"Here, it's Shasha in a box," Zarbon said handing Shasha's ashes over to Dodoria.
"Why aren't you going to throw them away?" asked Dodoria?
"I know he was your only friend, so no," Zarbon said.
"Thank you, you don't know how much it means to me!" then Dodoria slammed the door shut.
Zarbon went back to his room with Miretta's ashes in his hands. He then did the unimaginable; he started writing to his father, who he had not seen in many years.
"Dear father, I'm writing to you, however the occasion isn't a good one. Miretta has been executed along with Shasha. I cannot tell you how she died, but I will tell you how she lived, she was a good mother, faithful wife of a brutal, rapist, and the best half-sister in the world. We looked out for each other, but it was not enough to save her from certain death.
I know we have not spoken in such a long time, but I think I love you, I longed for you to come and rescue me, but that did not happen. Oh well can't argue, I'm still around. Please don't hold a grudge against me, for I feel that I am fully responsible for her demise. Love you, Zarbon." As Zarbon finished writing the letter, he broke down into tears and went into his bed with his sister's ashes in his arms; he hugged and held her remains close to his heart.
He was in utter shock that Frieza executed his sister, whose only crime was marriage to a rapist like Shasha.
When his father got the mail, he was excited to see a letter from his son, but it turned to sadness as soon as he read it, and he crashed to the floor sobbing for days.
About a year pasted, Zarbon had grown colder and more isolated, even though he found time to work out and eat right. The death of his half-sister had made him more hardened. He would still take visitors from Appule and Cui, but it was not as personal, it was starting to become more impersonal. He even stopped talking to the Ginyu Force, although to be fair, people just move on sometimes.
Sometime during that time, he got drunk at the bar and lashed out verbally at Vegeta, who was out having a good time with Nappa and Raddiz, they didn't even for once try to cause problems, it was Zarbon this time, and Zarbon alone.
"Why didn't you save my sister? Who do you think you are?" Zarbon asked.
"I tried for years to get her to run away with me and leave this miserable place behind, don't blame me for a decision she never considered making." Vegeta said drinking his beer.
By then Vegeta had become more calculating, even though in the past he was a loose cannon and very openly rude to the other non-Sayain soldiers, including Zarbon. Now it was the opposite, talk about a 180 on both their parts.
"You could have saved her damn it! What kind of person are you?" Zarbon asked.
"Well, I don't think you knew how much of a liar your sister was capable of being." Vegeta said smirking.
"What are you talking about?" Zarbon asked.
So Vegeta went on to tell the hard core truth, yes it was the truth and nothing but the truth. "Your sister Miretta's daughter was not raped by Shasha nor impregnated by him. What happened was that the girl snuck out when her father was passed out drunk and went onto the streets having sex with other Primal Changeling men." Vegeta said.
"That's a lie!" Zarbon said.
"Oh come on Zarbon! Did you not know what was going on here? Did you ever find it strange how Shasha was not on missions in the past few years? Do you also find it strange that he has been walking with a cane?" Vegeta asked.
"What are you saying?" Zarbon asked.
"Shasha caught a sexually transmitted disease that damaged his nerves to the point where he couldn't have sex anymore. He could barely walk without that cane. Remember that one prostitute that died in the hospital from her injuries when Shasha threw her against the wall? Some say that is where he got this disease from. He was so lucky he did not lose his eyesight." Vegeta said smiling.
Zarbon did not want to hear this harsh truth, but why the hell would Vegeta lie about such a thing? He had a history of screwing Miretta behind Shasha's back, even though Shasha knew this and didn't care. And yet, it now made sense as to why Vegeta would not sleep with Miretta anymore after that incident that Shasha tried to beat Appule up and mysteriously collapsed to the ground before he could.
Then again, Miretta had gotten fatter, after having six full term pregnancies, in which only three children survived, the rest being stillborns. Zarbon felt sick to his stomach, "So you are saying she lied to me?" Zarbon asked.
"Yes she did, she was tired of Shasha hitting her with his cane and hitting the kids too. She lied to you so that you could tell Frieza about it. But you went way too far telling him that they were secretly married. I think even you didn't think this through." Vegeta said drinking his beer.
"Zarbon there you are! You need to go back to your room right now!" Cui said grabbing Zarbon's arm.
"Don't touch me!" Zarbon snapped.
"Come on Zarbon." Appule said putting a hand on his shoulder.
There was something about that touch on his shoulder that seemed familiar, a good friend in fact was looking out for him, two of them in fact, and the only two he ever had left in the miserable world. They took him back to his room and sat him down on the couch.
Zarbon then told Cui and Appule what happened. They both shrugged their shoulders; they didn't know what to make of this.
Zarbon then lied down on the couch, "I have nothing else to live for, my mum died a long time ago when I was a boy, had she been alive, maybe I would have known more of a mother's love." Zarbon said.
"Zarbon dear, we did the best we could to give you that nurturing touch." Appule said.
"But it doesn't make a damn difference, women cannot replace men and men cannot replace women. They are just too hormonally and physically different." Zarbon said.
"We know Zarbon, we know." Cui said.
"Guys can I confess something to you?" Zarbon asked shutting his eyes.
"Sure what is it?" Appule asked.
"I was thinking that if Frieza dies soon, or I manage to run away, I might want to find a hot woman to have sex with and have children with." Zarbon said.
"Oh that sounds wonderful, but just give it time, he will die eventually. After all he's done to you and to us; he pretty much deserves to die." Cui said.
"Please don't tell anyone else what I told you." Zarbon said.
"We won't." Appule said as Zarbon fell asleep on the couch.
Unfortunately soon after this "guy bonding" took place, Frieza did not die. Instead, Zarbon went to Namic, but never returned to Planet Frieza. His good friends Appule, Cui, Jeice and even Dodoria were murdered by Vegeta. Some say that Vegeta who was so well hated by many murdered him; others say that Frieza murdered Zarbon, but indirectly, another casualty, another victim of Frieza's.
Of course in actuality Vegeta killed Zarbon, but Frieza didn't know that and neither did anyone else. Then again, Vegeta was no angel even though he went against Frieza. After all he slaughtered his friend Nappa and that village of Namic men and children, with a smirk on his face, on his own accord and not Frieza's. All because he wanted to get more powerful, not do anything altruistic.
After the report that he vanished, there was a huge revolt on Planet Frieza, and the Cold Family, kicked off the thrown, vanished never be heard from again.
During this revolt, Zarbon's nephew and nieces managed to write to their grandfather, who they never met in their entire lives. King Morphiess for once did the right thing; he came to Planet Frieza and rescued his nephew and nieces. After all the psychological and physical damage they suffered under Frieza's regime and under their evil father, Morphiess then from now on made a law of his planet, that rapists, if proven guilty would be beheaded.
A statue placed in the town square in remembrance of Zarbon, while some universities were named after him.
Although a rumor started that in the afterlife, according to the high priests, he ran away from Frieza so that he may be away from him.
Then another rumor started up in 2001 that he was bought back to life on a distant planet, like Earth but called Earth 2, by a beautiful young human sorceress. If in fact that rumor proved to be fact, then perhaps fate had given him another chance.
End of Story
To see Zarbon get resurrected by that hot sorceress that is mentioned above, go to story collection "A Second Chance at Life".