Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, but I've been fighting a bad case of writer's block.
All DBZ characters portrayed are owned by Toei.
September 20th, Age 776
In the early pre-dawn hours, Cilan's spaceship was flying through the air. The saiyan was at the helm piloting the ship towards West City. The time since the meeting between Bulma and Daniel had been uneventful for him. When he wasn't escorting Bulma for business meetings, he had been training in the gravity chamber, though not the one inside Capsule Corp.; Vegeta didn't share that one. Instead Bulma and her father dusted off the old Capsule #3, the ship that the older Saiyan used to train for the battle with the androids.
As the ship neared the outskirts of the city, Cilan angled it towards Capsule Corp. It didn't take long for the ship to reach the compound. The gray craft hovered over one building that looked like a sports stadium. Once it was oriented, it began to lower itself to the ground. The skids of the ship touched down and the engines died down. Overhead, a dome rose over the structure, revealing that the hangar had a retractable roof. Once the craft was parked, a ramp was wheeled to the side of the ship, where a square opening appeared. Bulma and her father walked up the stairs of the ramp and passed through the opening.
Since first laying eyes on the ship, this was the first time Bulma was able to get inside of it. Since her fateful meeting with Peterson, she was busy making space to park the ship. The company had to buy additional surrounding land to house the hangar. To her though, it was worth it to get new scientific knowledge.
Once both scientists were inside, they were greeted by Cilan. He leaned against the cockpit door in his training clothes, which consisted of a gray muscle shirt, black sweat pants, and dark blue sneakers. The saiyan nodded at them.
"Good Morning!" Greeted the scientists, Bulma and her father were both dressed in their lab coats, each carrying pencils and notebooks. "So Cilan, care to give us a tour?" Bulma had regarded him expectantly.
Cilan moved from the door and walked past both of them. "Follow me," he said over his shoulder.
The two complied and followed along silently. The trio passed through a set of sliding doors which led to an open room that had a single table set along one wall in front of a large display. Beyond the table were rows of chairs that were bolted to the floor.
"Briefing room", was all Cilan said as he walked to another set of doors.
"Hey Cilan, I have a question," Bulma's father piped up. "Does this ship have a name? I didn't see any markings on it."
"Arkbird," the saiyan simply replied. Mr. Briefs quickly jotted that down on his notebook. As they passed the doors, they found a narrow hallway lined with 20 doors on each side.
"Crew quarters," Cilan muttered as he walked down the hallway. Bulma was jotting down notes on her book. She had drawn a rough outline of the ship and was filling in what she had seen so far.
"How many people does this ship hold?" Bulma looked up from her notes.
"It can house a platoon and the ship's crew; so about 60 to 80 personnel."
Bulma nodded and wrote further in her notes. "By the way, how did you get this ship? It seems to be so large for a single person. Did the GF give it to you after you retired?" She frowned before adding, "Or did you steal it?"
Cilan stopped and looked at her before. "No, I didn't steal it. It also wasn't given to me by the GF; they only let me keep my beam sword."
Bulma's face relaxed before she raised an eyebrow. "How did you get it then?"
Cilan turned back around and continued down the hallway. "It was given to me by the president of the aerospace company who built it."
"Why would he give this ship to you?" Mr. Briefs asked interested.
"During the final stages of the war, our forces had captured the PTO's shipyards. With no means of getting new ships, they kidnapped his daughter to blackmail him into giving them ships. The GF sent me to rescue her."
"Did you save her?" Bulma was also interested.
"I have this ship don't I?" Cilan asked rhetorically. She only rolled her eyes.
"This ship is actually a prototype of the infiltrator ships our unit used," Cilan added. "That's why it's lightly armored."
They moved on, passing through the galley, the recreational room, the gym, and infirmary. Cilan stopped before another set of doors to point out a staircases and ladders on the sides.
"Those lead to the cargo hold below," he said before stepping through the doors. "Come on, the next room is the important one."
Both scientists hurried after him. They were in a room the size of the briefing room, but one that was slightly darkened. The walls were lined with various displays and terminals, and in the middle stood one large rectangular terminal with a blank wide screen display above and a blue touch pad in front of it. Cilan was inputting commands on it.
"What room is this?" Bulma asked as she looked around.
"Computer core," he didn't look from the terminal.
"How powerful is the mainframe?" Mr. Briefs was taking a particular interest in the main terminal.
"I don't know exactly, but I remember being told it could perform a trillion calculations per femtosecond or something like that." The display finally lit-up in red.
"Requesting voice authorization," the mechanical voice of the computer commanded.
"Lt. Commander Cilan. Pass code: Omega-Alpha-4-5-2-0-9-Bravo-Victor," Cilan replied monotonously.
The display turned green, "Authorization recognized. Welcome back Lt. Commander Cilan, how may I help you today?"
"I need you to grant user access to these two people into the ships systems." Cilan looked over to Bulma, "You first."
She stood next to him and looked up at the display.
"State your name to the computer."
"Bulma Briefs."
"User access level?" The computer asked.
"Gold level," Cilan replied then looked over to Bulma. "Now put your palm on the touch pad."
Bulma did so and the pad performed a scan of her hand.
"Finally, come up with a pass code."
She pondered for a few moments, and then came up with one. They did the same procedure for her father. The saiyan showed Mr. Briefs to a set of doors which led to engineering, where the propulsion system was housed, and the older scientist promptly left them to study the engine design.
"Where do you think you're going?" Bulma had her arms crossed as she caught Cilan leaving from where they entered.
"I'm going to go train," Cilan said over his shoulder.
"What about the rest of tour?"
"The computer can answer any questions you have."
She glared at him then, "You know what you're problem is Cilan?"
"I'm an emotionally stunted war junkie with abandonment issues?" Cilan regurgitated everything ever told to him by psychologists in the GF.
Bulma stood stunned, "Uh… yeah. I mean if you know what's wrong…"
"Don't worry," he waved her off. "I'll be fine."
"You should really pick up a hobby. Or get a girlfriend," she looked at him worriedly.
"Yeah, like that'll help," were his last words to her as he left the room. Bulma just shook her head as the doors closed behind him, before she turned her attention back to the computer.
Cilan was in the gravity chamber training his body at 200 times gravity. He was never properly trained on higher gravity so the first few days were trying for him, as he was getting used to 100 times gravity in his base form. It dawned on him how outclassed he was compared to the other adult Saiyans. He wasn't dismayed however; it just made him more determined to train harder.
The gravity chamber was lit in red as he practiced dodging energy blasts from the training bots Mr. Briefs had built for him. Their purpose was to redirect any ki attack back onto the originator. To the elder scientist relief, Cilan didn't over-tax them causing them to break.
Like Vegeta before him, he was using them to test his reaction time under heavier gravity. Cilan was close to mastering 200G, a few more days and he could increase it to 250G. He figured that at his current rate he should have 500G in a matter of weeks.
'If I went super, I could do this easily,' were his thoughts as the blast almost grazed his chest. He had made it a point to hold off on training in his super state. Goku and Vegeta mastered higher levels of gravity before going super, so he felt that he should max his base form first.
The ki blast flew off into the walls of the ship and fizzled out.
"Defense position Delta," announced one of the 9 round bots as they re-oriented themselves around the saiyan. Cilan looked up and fired a ki sphere at one of them. It was deflected to another bot and on it went as the sphere was used to attack him. He managed to dodge it, but the bots kept changing directions to unpredictable patterns and increasing the sphere's speed. It took him some effort as his mind was concentrating on the ball and using his ki to stay afloat in the higher gravity.
As his mind concentrated on the sphere, another part of his mind was going back to the conversation he had with Bulma hours earlier. What he had told her was correct, but he had an explanation for it. The emotional stunting was normal as he was raised as a typical saiyan, which meant to not show emotions. Being a war junkie was just from his natural saiyan blood lust for battle. As for the abandonment issues, well he hadn't come up with a suitable reason for that yet.
'Whatever,' he thought as he shook his head. 'I'm better off alone anyway.'
That momentary distraction cost him as the ki ball grazed his right shoulder and made him lose his concentration, causing him to drop to the floor. The bots pressed on the attack then as it launched the ball in different directions above him. He ignored the pain in his shoulder as he tried to focus again on the sphere. As the ki ball was coming at him faster than before he jumped and dodged wildly as he fought with the higher gravity. When he landed on his knees he looked up to see the ki sphere was closing in on his face, faster than he anticipated.
"Fuck," he muttered as he immediately raised his hands in front of him. However, instead of trying to cancel out the sphere with another ki blast, he focused his telekinetic powers and forced the ki to a halt.
"Outside force detected! Outside force detected!" alerted the main bot as the ki sphere dissipated. Cilan shook his head as he chided himself for losing his concentration. He looked at his shoulder; the shirt he wore had a scorch mark where he was hit. The shoulder had a stinging sensation, but he could still move it fine and the pain was slowly ebbing. He closed his eyes and compartmentalized his thoughts; focusing only on the training. Once that was done he looked back up to the bots and fired another ki blast and resumed his exercise.
Several hours later Cilan sat against the ships console as the gravity was set to normal. The training bots were lined up against the wall of the ship deactivated. He was looking at his hands; they were calloused and red from the ki blasts he had been deflecting. So far he had been training in the gravity chamber for a week and a half and his strength should have increased, but he needed to test it out.
Cilan hadn't sparred with anyone since his match with Goku months ago. He thought of trying for a re-match, but the older saiyan would still outclass him; the same went for Gohan and Vegeta. Cilan classified them as the top tier in strength. Goten and Trunks were powerful, but still too inexperienced. Piccolo was also beyond him in strength. The human fighters were retired except for Tien, but Cilan wasn't sure if it would be a fair fight.
It was then he looked at the training bots, his mind conjured up an idea.
'Machines,' was his first thought. 'Calculating, emotionless, and persistent; the deadliest enemy… Or the perfect training partner.'
With a decision made, he stood up from the floor and went to wash up.
September 24th, Age 776
The vast blue ocean raced below Cilan as he flew towards the small island chain in the southern seas, the sun was still in the eastern horizon on its way to the top for midday. He was wearing a gray short sleeve shirt and black jeans. He had mastered 200G yesterday, but before moving onto 250G he decided to test his strength on a good challenger; one who happened to have lived in the South Seas. When he spotted a small island containing a pink house with the words 'Kame House' scrawled in red letters, he landed on it.
The beach was empty except for Unigame the sea turtle, who waved at him. Avoiding toys that were scattered in the sand he walked up to the screen door and heard the noise of a television program from an open window. Rapping on the door a few times he heard Roshi's voice telling him the door was open. As he stepped through he found the old man and Oolong sitting in front of the television.
"Morning Cilan," greeted both perverts. "Pull up a chair."
Deciding to stand off to the side, Cilan got a better look at the television screen, "What are you two watching?"
"Wide-Thigh Aerobics," answered the pig.
"It's to help me come up with a new martial arts technique," Roshu piped up, as he watched a blonde woman bent over to touch her toes and her rear end was presented to the camera.
"Uh-huh. You know that's a load of bullshit, right?"
"Yep," answered both perverts. The saiyan just shook his head and stood against a wall with his arms crossed. When the program went to commercial Master Roshi finally looked in Cilans direction, "What brings you by today?"
"I'm looking for Android 18."
"She's upstairs," The Turtle Hermit looked to the stairway. "Hey 18! You have a guest!"
There wasn't a response but footsteps were heard from above.
"By the way Cilan, Candy said she misses you at the strip club."
"I bet. What about her number I gave you?"
"Oh she hung up when she found out I called; even changed it."
"Not surprising," Cilan then glanced around the living room. "Where's Krillin?"
"He went to the mainland with his daughter to pick up groceries," replied the pig. "Speaking of Candy why don't you come with us back to the strip club? She even has a friend named Bambi."
"Of course she does," Cilan shook his head then. "Last thing I need now is more distractions in my life."
Before Oolong could retort, a cold feminine voice cut in, "What are you doing here?"
Android 18 stood at the foot of the stairs with her arms crossed. She wore her normal attire, a black shirt with black and white stripped long sleeves, blue jeans, and black shoes. Her pale blue eyes regarded the Saiyan indifferently. When she first met him, she considered him to be an ordinary saiyan with no remarkable features to set him apart.
Cilan turned to her with his arms crossed as well, "I'm looking for a sparring match."
She quirked an eyebrow then, "Why? Don't you saiyans usually beat the crap out of each other?"
Suppressing a smile, "Normally yes, but most of the other saiyans on this planet can easily kick my ass. So I'm looking for a spar with someone on my level."
"And that would be me?"
"Yes, if I remember correctly you kicked Vegeta's ass after he became a Super Saiyan."
"That's right," 18 smiled then, remembering that victory over the arrogant saiyan prince. She then frowned, "That still doesn't mean I'll fight you. What's in it for me?"
Cilan expected this, "I can pay you."
"How much?" Her interest was piqued, even though she had money that she managed to blackmail from Mr. Satan, she still wouldn't turn down easy money.
"500 Zeni."
18 shook her head, "5,000"
"1,000"
"4,000"
"2,000"
"3,000"
"Deal," Cilan nodded, he had remembered how his mother used to haggle.
18 held her hand out to Cilan, as he fished out a wad of Zeni bills from his pocket and then tossed them to the android.
"We'll be sparring here?" 18 asked as she counted the notes.
"I'd rather not, could damage the house," he turned from her and made his way to the door. "I saw an island on the way here, about a mile out. It looked uninhabited."
The cyborg followed along and took off after him on their way to the island. After they landed and faced each other, Cilan switched to his combat suit causing 18 to give him a curious look. "What's that?"
"Combat suit."
She made a face, "It looks ugly."
"Good," he smiled behind the mask.
She shook her head and crossed her arms, "Get rid of the mask and the weapons. I don't have anything protecting my face, so you shouldn't either."
Thinking it over, he found she had a point. So he removed the mask and unbuckled the belt that held his beam sword.
"The vest too," she added.
Grunting in annoyance, he unzipped the vest and put it the pile with the other items, and he also removed the forearm computer. Wearing nothing but his jumpsuit and combat boots, he pulled back the balaclava exposing his head to the sunshine. They took their fighting stances.
Cilan smirked, "Ladies first."
Returning the smirk, 18 disappeared and appeared before him with her right fist drawn back to deliver a punch to his face. When her fist flew, he was able to dodge it by a fraction and tried responding with a right hook, but hit nothing but air.
18 launched a series of punches and kicks at the saiyan. He was able to dodge and block most of them, but the ones he couldn't stunned him. He was trying to find an opening to begin a counterattack but the android was too fast for him. This went on for minutes until they jumped away from each other.
With a smirk on her face, 18 tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "So when are you going to put up a fight?"
Cilan grinned, then powered up to his Super Saiyan form; he took off and started his assault. This time they both seemed equally matched, though Cilan knew she was still stronger. He couldn't sense her ki, but he was testing out his telekinetic powers in a new way. He was projecting his thought s out like a sonar and picking up where the android's location was at. His range was limited to only make it useful for close quarters but was enough to stop a surprise attack on him.
Android 18 was expecting this fight to replay like her fight with Vegeta, but was surprised that Cilan didn't show the same arrogance like the prince. Instead he was silent in his attacks and his strikes were almost as precise as hers. Her files on fighting techniques Dr. Gero had implanted told her that Cilan's fighting style was similar to Muay Thai.
The saiyan flew at 18 with his right fist drawn, mimicking the androids earlier attack. 18 drew her right leg back, and calculated his speed. Right when he was about to let his fist fly, 18 launched a right knee into his gut; the same attack she used to put down Vegeta. Her knee impacted, but not to his stomach. To her surprise, Cilan managed to shift his body so that his right hip would take the brunt of the attack.
She didn't have time to react when Cilan's right elbow slammed into her face and was flung away. 18 stopped herself and ran a hand along her right cheek, it stung. She looked up at CIlan and saw he was facing her in his fighting stance, his face expressionless and waiting for her to attack again. With a snarl she powered up and rocketed at him ready to kick him, to break his arm like she had done to Vegeta.
Before she could land it, Cilan was able to raise his right knee up so that the knee cap could block the kick. He then grabbed her leg and tossed her away. After landing on the ground she jumped back up and scowled at him, "You're really starting to piss me off."
CIlan smiled, "Funny, I didn't think machines felt emotions."
"I'm not a machine!" She was ready to attack again, until something clicked in her mind. "I see what you're doing now. You're getting me angry so I can't think clearly."
The saiyan said nothing and kept his face expressionless, betraying nothing.
Smirking again, she powered up one more time and began another assault. This time she changed her tactics slightly, so far she kept treating him as if he was Vegeta; instead Cilan was more cunning.
With her power increased she was able to overwhelm him at points, though Cilan still managed to fight her off and find openings in her defense. They exchanged various punches and kicks to each other, lasting for several minutes. Before they broke off and resumed once again.
18 had delivered a right-handed uppercut to his chin; Cilan rode through the pain and grabbed her shoulders to deliver a series of left knee strike to her solar plexus. She managed to break out of his hold and push him back. Though instead of getting angry again, she only smirked, before she flew at him again.
Nearly a half-hour into the match, 18 began to gain the upper hand again. With her limitless supply of ki, she didn't get tired and could go on. Cilan meanwhile was steadily expending ki in his super state and knew he would eventually lose if this continued any longer. This was close to happening when 18 managed to land a left jab onto his face, then followed it up with a right cross punch.
He was momentarily stunned, but was able to throw his arms up to protect his face from the onslaught of punches she was throwing at him. Cilan managed to throw a high roundhouse right kick that connected to the left side of her head. 18 staggered back from him while she got her bearings.
"Why aren't you using any ki attacks?" 18 asked as her vision was slightly blurry.
"And wear myself out faster?" Cilan retorted after a heavy breath at one of the two versions of 18 he was seeing and then shook his head to make the double vision go away.
"Clever one, aren't you?" She tucked a strand of hair again behind her ear and prepared for another attack. Before doing so a third person showed up to interrupt them.
"Hey guys, what's going on?" Krillin landed on the sandy beach wearing his red shirt and brown khaki's. Truthfully he knew what they were doing, as Roshi had told him where his wife ran off to. He had been watching the fight between the two for the last few minutes; it was rare when 18 fought. Krillin decided to step in when he saw Cilan stagger from the last strike.
18 looked over at Krillin and dropped her fighting stance,, "Ask Cilan, he wanted a fight with me. Where's Marron?"
"I left her with Master Roshi to watch her," Krillin scratched the back of his head.
18 wanted to go back home to be with her daughter. She turned to the saiyan, "Wanna call it a draw?"
Cilan considered it; on the one hand his prideful side wanted to fight to the bitter end. The practical side pointed out that the bitter end will be in defeat, and a draw is better than losing. With that in mind he nodded in agreement, then powered down and turned to the pile where he left his gear.
After 18 left for home, Krillin decided to hang back to talk with Cilan. "So that's the suit Bulma made for you?"
"Yes," Cilan replied curtly as he zipped up his vest and then picking up the beam sword belt.
"I thought it would look more like the armor Vegeta wore."
The saiyan strapped his computer back on his arm and then placed the mask on his face before he regarded Krillin, "Wouldn't be caught dead wearing that."
Krillin gulped before chuckling nervously, the inhumanity of the mask gave him shivers. "Can't blame you… That spandex leaves a lot to be desired." He remembered when he wore something similar on planet Namek.
Cilan nodded before he touched the button on his watch to store his suit and reverting back to his civilian clothes. Krillin couldn't decide which was scarier, Cilan's mask or his normal glowering face.
The saiyan turned from him and was about to take off when Krillin stopped him, "Want to hang out at Master Roshi's house?"
"I'm pretty busy this afternoon," in truth Cilan was planning on heading back home to go over today's fight and drink, in either order.
"Come on, I can order some take out."
"Well…," it was close to lunch time.
"I even brought a couple of cases of beer," Krillin hedged this would entice him.
"If you insist," Cilan proved the monk right.
After a case of beer and a family sized portion of Teriyaki beef and sticky rice, Cilan sat on the couch of Master Roshi's living room having a mostly one-sided conversation with Krillin.
"How are you liking Earth so far?"
"Foods and drinks are good," he uncapped his seventh beer, "Though the place is too quiet for my liking."
"Yeah, it's been peaceful since Majin Buu, but for you Saiyan's it must get you antsy when you're not fighting." Krillin took a sip of his tea as he remembered the two days Majin Buu terrorized them. "You wouldn't believe those crazy days with Majin Buu."
"So I've been told, but if I was here for that he would have killed me easily."
"Yeah," Krillin decided to change the subject, "Speaking of fighting, where did you learn how to fight? I was watching your fight with 18 and you weren't half-bad."
"My mother trained me until I was 10," he paused as he took a sip from the bottle, "Then the military, and a couple of bar fights showed me the rest."
"That right?" Krillin remembered to tip-toe around the subject of Cilan's mother, as it was still a sore subject.
"You should train under me Cilan," Master Roshi cut-in as he was still watching his all day marathon of the aerobics show. "I can make you into a real fighter and a ladies' man."
Cilan and Krillin both rolled their eyes at the turtle master.
"Hey, Krillin. How exactly did you and 18 get together?" Cilan had wondered that since meeting them months ago. "I know she was your enemy at one point and what happened after your first fight, but I never heard about afterward when Cell was defeated."
"Oh, well," Krillin scratched the side of his face before he told the saiyan about the wish he used from the Dragonballs to try and make 18 human, then used the wish to instead remove the bomb from within her. He then recounted how after she ran off from Kami's Lookout, she showed up on the island months afterward to seek him out. They formed a friendship that developed into a romance, which gave birth to their daughter four years afterward.
18 would have chimed in, but she was busy as she sat opposite of them fixing the pony tails on Marron. She had also been glancing curiously at Cilan at certain points; something about him was puzzling her. When they were fighting she noted that she couldn't get a sneak attack on him unless she was extremely close to him. It had seemed he could sense where she was going to attack from, but that should have been impossible because she had no detectable ki. She made him remove his mask so he couldn't have tracked her with it, so he must have found another way to do so. 18 had decided to speak to her husband about it later after Cilan left.
"About the time Marron was conceived we decided to get married and we've been together ever since," Krillin finished their story.
"That's interesting," Cilan said after a pause.
"What?" the former monk looked surprised. "That's it? Usually people give me crap about her being too good for me or that I nearly destroyed the planet because of my crush."
The saiyan shrugged, "Don't they say love is blind?"
"Yeah."
"And stupid?"
"Hey!" Krillin frowned while Master Roshi and Oolong laughed from their chairs in front of the TV.
Krillin grumbled at being made the punch line of another joke. "What about you?"
"What about me?" Cilan finished his beer and was reaching for another.
"Don't you have anyone?"
"No."
"Why not? You could easily get a girlfriend."
"Funny," replied the saiyan as he uncapped the bottle.
"What is?" Krillin wasn't sure where that response came from.
"Bulma told me the same thing a few days ago," Cilan looked at him with narrowed eyes. "If I didn't know better I'd think you two have scheming about me."
"No, no. Nothing like that, just a coincidence," Krillin laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head.
'Have to be careful with this one, he's not stupid like Goku or naive like Gohan,' Krillin thought to himself. "But seriously Cilan, why not?"
Cilan stared into the beer bottle for a long moment before he spoke, "Never had time for it in the military." There was another reason, but he swore himself to never speak of it.
"Yeah I can see that, but you're retired now."
"True," Cilan took a swig from the bottle. "But I don't see the point."
"The point? Why would you need a point to be in a relationship?" Krillin couldn't comprehend what he was hearing. Cilan only shrugged in response.
"Don't you ever feel lonely?"
"No," the saiyan replied quickly. "Besides, being in a relationship would distract me from my training."
"No it wouldn't," Krillin shot back. "Why are you training so hard anyway? There's no enemy to fight anymore."
"Just because things have been peaceful for a short period doesn't mean there might not be a future enemy to fight."
"Maybe," the time after Cell was defeated was peaceful until Babidi and Majin Buu showed up. "But that still doesn't mean you can't have a relationship."
Cilan shook his head dismissing Krillin's point. He then glanced at his watch, "It's running late, I should be going."
After one long gulp that drained the bottle, Cilan set it aside and stood up. "Thanks for the food and beer. I'll pay you back next time."
"Think nothing of it," Krillin waved him off. "You're welcome here anytime."
The saiyan nodded and bid his farewell to the others as he walked to the front door, but not before turning back to them. "Hey 18."
The android looked up at him, "Yes?"
"Another match next week, same time?"
She thought of it for a moment before nodding, "Sure. Same amount of money too."
"Sure," he smirked before he turned and left.
Krillin watched him leave with a frown; he hoped Cilan was wrong about their being another enemy to fight.
October 2nd. Age 776
Autumn in the desert usually meant that the days didn't get as searing as normal, and the nights dropped to colder levels. Not far from where Cilan originally landed on the planet months ago, he was standing on a lonely mesa, training. He had been training at 250G for the past week and saw some improvement, though when he sparred with 18 the day before the results were nearly the same as before.
The saiyan decided to train out in the desert to break the monotony of his daily routine. It also would give him the opportunity to exercise his telekinetic powers away from everyone else. He arrived in the area since early in the morning and trained nearly the entire day. He used the last remaining hours of daylight to work on his mental powers. Cilan wanted to see how powerful they were; when he was young he could move large boulders and right before he was picked up by the GF he could move small ships.
During his time in the military he had few opportunities to test out how far his powers progressed, as he didn't want to tip off his superiors about his hidden abilities. Though now that he was free from all that duty and his new found solitude gave him the time to expand on it. What he'd seen so far showed promise, as he was levitating a dozen large boulders around him; each one the size of a minivan..
He was in his combat suit standing perfectly still as his eyes were closed and his hands arms were stretched out with palms forward as he concentrated on the rocks around him. They were moving around him slowly, until one moved at him in a frightening speed. In a split second he drew his beam sword and cut through it, the two new pieces landed behind him.
Another boulder moved at him, but instead of cutting it, Cilan punched it and shattered it into pieces. The other rocks followed suit and were subsequently turned into pebbles. After this was done he removed the mask to survey the aftermath in natural lighting, and to wipe his brow.
His watch told him it was a quarter past 3, so he had two more hours of daylight to continue. He was debating with himself on coming back here again tomorrow, as there was supposed to be a heavy sandstorm blowing through the area according to the weather service. Training through it would show if he and his suit were all-weather capable.
"Not a bad demonstration," the gruff voice of Piccolo called out.
Cilan looked up surprised at the namekian who was floating in the air above him, with his cape billowing in the desert wind. Before he could respond, another voice, an arrogant one spoke.
"I agree, it isn't everyday you see a saiyan using telekinetic powers," Vegeta landed on the mesa in his battle armor.
"Hey Cilan!" Goku was also there, in his orange gi, with his normal cheerful disposition.
"How long have you guys been out here?" Cilan had recovered over his initial shock, but was now worried as he was essentially surrounded by the three most powerful warriors in the universe. His grip tightened on the hilt of his beam sword, ready to activate at a moment's notice.
"Long enough," Piccolo landed off to the side. "It was easy as we dropped our power levels and you were too focused to notice our arrival."
"We're not here for a fight," Goku noted the tension on Cilan's face. "We just want to know why you've been hiding your powers."
Cilan let out a breath, "How long have you known?"
"I suspected something after you landed," Piccolo spoke up. "When I meditated, I sensed your powers, I have telekinetic powers myself. So I can detect them the same way you'd sense ki. I decided to watch you and confirmed my suspicions on the night you broke into Peach Computers."
After a single nod to the namekian, Cilan turned to Vegeta.
"Dr. Briefs mentioned that the logs from the training bots kept detecting an outside force. Bulma analyzed the records and found they were from your brainwaves," Vegeta explained.
Another nod, then he turned to Goku.
"Krillin told me that 18 was suspicious that you kept anticipating her attacks, as if you could detect her. I told Piccolo about it and he told me about your powers." Goku answered.
Cilan nodded a final time before deciding to holster the beam sword. "Yes, I have telekinetic powers."
"How long have you had them?" Vegeta cut in.
"Since I was born."
"Did your mother have the same powers?" Goku asked.
"No, she had telepathic powers."
Piccolo and Vegeta were stunned by this revelation, while Goku was confused. "What's a telepath?"
Cilan raised an eyebrow then, "A person who can read minds."
"I can do that by placing my hand on anyone's forehead," the older saiyan replied.
"Yes, but she could do so without having to physically touch the person. She was born with that ability."
"How powerful was she?" Piccolo finally spoke.
"I never got an idea, as she only used it in fights or when we were in negotiations."
"Is that why she was sent away?" Vegeta had a hunch.
Cilan nodded, "Yes, King Vegeta didn't want her under Freeza's rule."
The prince remained silent but was satisfied that his father had a reason on sending Cinna away. The next few minutes were filled with other questions, concerning his mother. Cilan answered what he could, but he still left out the details about her encounter with Broly and Paragus.
"What about your powers?" The namekian asked. "What's your limit?"
"I don't know," Cilan scratched the back of his head. "I was able to move ships before I was drafted into military service. I haven't been able to test it further until now."
"If you're looking to expand those powers of yours, I can train you. You can find me at the lookout," with that Piccolo took off. Vegeta just grunted and flew off, presumably back to Capsule Corp.
Goku hadn't left yet. "Hey Cilan, come by my place for some sparring matches. I know you feel you're no match for us, but you'll be surprised what you can do with enough determination." He placed two fingers on his forehead and disappeared.
Alone on the mesa again, Cilan let out a weary sigh and placed his mask back on. "That went better than expected," he muttered to himself before going back to his training.
October 17th, Age 776
West City was quiet in the early mornings, especially on a Sunday. It was almost 7, and Cilan flew silently over the city as he made his way to Capsule Corp. Since revealing his powers to the others, his life had settled into a routine. Training nearly every day, on the days he wasn't doing his guard duties. He also continued his sparring matches with 18 every week, and sparred with Goku every other week.
As expected, he fared evenly with 18, but still lost to Goku, though losing to him did show Cilan where to improve. He hadn't yet sought out training from Piccolo, as he wanted to further explore his powers on his own. His days were busy, but he preferred to be busy as it kept his mind occupied.
He touched down at Capsule Corp. front lawn, and was deciding if he should enter the building or head straight to the gravity chamber. It was his birthday today and he wanted to do nothing more than to just spend it like any other day. Though he feared Bulma would use the day as an excuse for some celebration at his expense.
Debating in the cold morning air, he shuttered slightly beneath his dark blue denim jacket, one that covered his dark gray button shirt, and black jeans. He could head inside and go for breakfast, or ignore his appetite and train the entire day and avoid the Briefs like the plague. Pride won out and Cilan made his way to the gravity chamber.
As he walked to the ship, he was surprised to find someone waiting by the ship. He was less than pleased to find Bunny waving at him.
"Good morning Cilan!" Bunny fluttered her eyelashes.
"Morning Bunny," Cilan grumbled.
"How's the birthday boy doing today?" Her tone was sickeningly sweet.
"Fine," he muttered.
She only giggled at his grumpiness, "I bet you wanted to avoid us today, huh?"
Cilan looked surprised at her perceptiveness, "How'd you know?"
"When you live with Vegeta for so many years, you can tell what you guys think. Don't worry; I talked Bulma out of throwing you a surprise party."
"Really?" He was surprised again. When she nodded in reply, he offered her a small smile, "Thanks."
Bunny beamed at him, then grabbed his hand and pulled him to the main building. "Just think of it as doing you a favor. Come on, you can thank me by coming in and having breakfast."
Cilan let himself be led by her, as he wondered how eating her food would thank her, but he shrugged as he wouldn't turn away a free meal.
"Be sure to come in for dinner too."
'Sure, but why?" Cilan had an eyebrow raised.
"I'm going to make you a special meal you handsome soldier!" She looked back and giggled at his blushing face.
It was 5:30 in the afternoon when Cilan shut down the gravity machine. The room went from 300G back to Earth's normal gravity. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he made his way to the showers in the ship. Bunny usually had dinner ready by 6, so he had enough time for a hot shower and change back into his normal clothes.
As he stood under the shower head, letting the hot water relax his aching muscles, he went over his progress so far. Cilan figured he should be able to start at 350G by the end of the week. His reaction time was quicker each time he sparred with 18, but was nowhere near matching Goku. Though the older saiyan had recommended him that he should train in his super state, to achieve the full power super saiyan mode.
Cilan considered his advice, though it would be a major shift in he how treated his physical powers. He had always viewed and treated his super form as a last ditch weapon in combat, only to be brought out if his base form couldn't cut it. If he followed Goku's advice, he would have to stay in his super state for 24/7. He decided to he'd do that once he could master 500G in his base form.
After his shower and change of clothes, Cilan stepped out of the ship into the cool autumn air. He walked towards the main building with some hesitation, some part of him was thinking that Bunny lied and he was walking into an ambush. Not knowing if it was inherited or if it was from the life he had before his mother died, but Cilan always preferred to stay out of the spotlight. It was easier for him to stay in the shadows, flying under people's radar and do his work without much fanfare. When he was out in the field, in the heavier battles, he always tried to be quick and efficient in his missions.
Walking through the main lobby of Capsule Corp. and into the housing area, Cilan could only sense Vegeta and Trunks training in their own gravity chamber; and just the normal staff that worked in the building.
'So far, so good,' he thought to himself making his way to the kitchen. Once there, he found Bunny working at her stove and the smell of cooking food.
"Oh Cilan! I'm almost done; just take a seat at the table."
Doing as told, he sat and waited. The smell of the food was making his appetite rise, as he skipped lunch. He didn't wait long as Bunny began putting plates in front of him: An extra large bowl of pork ramen, a catering tray of Mongolian beef, with an equal tray of sticky rice, and a plate full of chicken gyoza.
Cilan's mouth watered at the food before him and was ready to eat, but needed chopsticks.
"Would you like beer?" Bunny presented him with the wooden utensils and several napkins.
"Please," he took the offered items and began to dig into the soup, while a pitcher of beer was set to the side.
"You're so polite," Bunny giggled. A door chime was heard then. "Oh that must be my guest. There's someone I want you to meet."
Cilan only grunted, not really hearing what she said as she walked out of the kitchen. He was nearly done with the ramen when Bunny walked back in with someone else.
"Cilan, I want you meet my niece Kei."
Again the saiyan just grunted as he slurped the last of the soup. Setting the bowl aside he made a move for the serving tray full of the marinated beef, when he heard a gasp.
"It's you," exclaimed a feminine voice. Cilan looked up and noted Bunny's guest; she was a young woman that stood at around 5'9", had pale skin with some freckles on a heart shaped face, and long dark auburn hair. She was wearing a red blouse and blue jeans, which showed off an hourglass figure. Her most striking feature was her green eyes that Cilan thought he recognized, but his mind couldn't place where.
Bunny was confused by her niece's reaction, "Have you two met?"
Kei spoke while still looking at Cilan, as he still tried to remember her. "He was the one who rescued me in the park from that mugger months ago."
It clicked for him then, the jogger in the park.
"That was you Cilan?" Bunny asked surprised.
The saiyan just looked up and nodded before he began to eat the Mongolian beef.
"Well sit down Kei, and tell me again what happened that night!" Bunny motioned for her niece to conveniently sit next to Cilan. A moment later, Bulma walked in.
"Hey guys!" She placed a small box next to Cilan. "This is for you Cilan. Happy Birthday!"
He only grunted in response, causing Bulma to shake her head. She turned to the other two women, "What's up?"
"Cilan saved Kei's life!" her mother exclaimed.
"What? Really?" Bulma was surprised and then she looked at Cilan. "How did that happen?"
"Kei was going to tell me," Bunny motioned for her daughter to sit and listen, then looked at her niece. "So tell us what happened."
"I was out for my nightly jog," she began to recount. "I turned into the park when someone grabbed me. I let out a scream before the mugger put a knife to my throat and shoved me against a tree asking for money."
She was acting out with her hands what had happened, "I was so scared that he would kill me, because I wasn't carrying any money. Just when I was about to scream again, I noticed him," Kei pointed at Cilan. "He stalked up to us quietly and when he was close enough he pulled the mugger off me and punched him in the face and knocked him out. I was still frightened when he told me to call for help.
"I looked away from him for a moment and when I turned back, he was gone." She looked back at him then, "I didn't even get to thank him."
Cilan was only half-listening when he noticed it went quiet. Setting down the tray, he saw himself being scrutinized by three sets of eyes. Kei's were grateful.
Bunny's were fluttering, "How brave!"
Bulma had a shit-eating grin on her face, "Who would have thought? You being a knight in shining armor," the saccharine in her voice nearly made him lose his appetite.
"I was just doing what anyone else would," he said nonchalantly.
"No, anybody else would have called for help or ignored her screams. You went out of your way to rescue her," Bulma argued back.
He said noting in reply, but instead reached for the pitcher of beer and took a needed drink from it. Bulma just smiled triumphantly as she was proven right again.
After setting down the near empty pitcher, a soft hand placed itself on his arm. His eyes traveled from the hand to the smiling face of Kei, and raised an eyebrow at her.
"I want to thank you for saving me," she traced her index finger on his arm, noting its firmness.
"Don't mention it," Cilan faintly noted how soft her hand was. Clearing his throat, he changed the subject. "Did you take my advice?"
She nodded, "Yeah, I only jog in the day, and I'm also carrying pepper spray."
He gave her a curt nod before picking up the tray again. Kei watched him in rapt fascination as he ate, "Are you one of those Saiyan people?"
Cilan stopped eating and gulped his food, "How do you know about them?"
"I've visited here before, and I've seen how Vegeta and Trunks eat and how they're able fly. Curiosity got the better of me, and asked my aunt."
He thought it over and nodded, "I'm a Saiyan."
"Wow, so you're from space?" Her face lit up in wonderment. As she peppered him with questions, Bunny looked at them and was ecstatic that her plan was going better than expected. Bulma wasn't aware of the matchmaking plans her mother hatched up, but she had the same thoughts.
"So Kei," Bulma interrupted the two. "What happened to the mugger?"
"The police arrested him and he's been in jail ever since. They said he was wanted for other muggings in that park," Kei replied.
"Do you need protection? Cilan is my body guard, but he could give you protection if you need it," the scientist asked before she nibbled on a gyoza she had managed to steal from the plate.
"No, I'm fine." The redhead shook her head.
"Oh but Kei, you live in such a dangerous place. I don't know what I'll do if something happened to you," Bunny exaggerating the dangers slightly.
"It's not that bad, besides, it's all I can afford right now with my college costs," Kei muttered.
"What college are you going to?" Cilan asked.
"I'm going to Percy University in the west side. I'm studying to be an engineer."
"Huh, I live near there."
Bulma's mind quickly come up with an idea, "I know what you can do Kei." She grinned, "You should move in with Cilan."
"Do what now?" Cilan sat up straight, not sure if he heard correctly.
"No, I couldn't" Kei tried to dismiss the idea. "I can't even afford to live there."
"Nonsense, Cilan has a spare room and I could chip in your half of the rent." Bulma sent Cilan an evil grin. "And I don't think you'll mind boarding the cousin of your boss, right?"
Cilan was ready to reject the idea, but Bunny spoke up first, "Please Cilan, you'll be doing me a favor."
Realizing that he owed her, he'd been trapped. He slouched in his seat, defeated, "Fine."
Both older women smiled as they had won while Kei looked at Cilan regretfully. Bulma noticed his sullen look and pushed the box she left earlier towards him, "Here, I got this for you."
Cilan looked at the box, the slowly opened the top of it and reached inside of it. He pulled out a small rectangular device; it was the phone Bulma showed him months ago. The saiyan looked up at Bulma with a questioning look.
"It's one of the first production units ready to be sold. Thanks to your help, these we'll be on sale next month for the holidays. "
After powering up the device and playing with for a moment; Cilan looked back up to her with a small smile, "Thanks Bulma."
"Don't mention it," she winked at him. "Now I can call you for anything at anytime!"
Cilan grimaced then and grumbled, "That's great."
Dinner passed by quickly, and Bunny surprised Cilan with a cake she had baked for him. After that, Bulma had none-too-gently suggested that he walk Kei home, which he did reluctantly. Her home was on the south side and they walked there, mostly in silence.
Cilan was mentally fuming at how he got himself into this predicament. He was stronger than that dammed blue haired scientist, but he followed her orders without question. Maybe it might have been his strict military training that was the problem. He shook his head at that, it was more likely he felt an obligation to do their favors as they took him in.
Kei noticed his frown and offered him a smile, "I'm sorry about my aunt and cousin. You don't have to do anything. I'm fine where I live now."
His frown disappeared as he looked at her, "Don't apologize, it's not your fault. As for those two, I can't blame them; they're just worried about you."
"It's not that bad." She frowned, "I mean I haven't had any problems since the mugger. Though I do live around the corner of this strip club, and some of the guys that hang out there try and pick me up." Her face twisted in disgust," Especially these two perverts, this old man and a talking pig."
He grimaced then, "Does the old man carry a walking stick and wear sunglasses?"
"Yeah!" She threw him a questioning glance, "Do you know them?"
"Yeah," he rubbed his face in frustration. "The old man is Master Roshi, and the pig is Oolong. They're friends of your cousin."
"Oh," Kei looked slightly relieved; she had feared Cilan was just as much of a pervert like those two. Silence descended on them again as they walked. The redhead glanced at the saiyan again, "Can I ask you something?"
Cilan nodded.
"What were you doing in the park that night you rescued me?"
"I was walking home from a bar and needed to find a place to take off without being seen. I thought the park would have been empty."
"Hmm…" She had a pensive look on her face, "Which bar?"
"Pete's, it's a sports bar I usually go to."
"Wanna go? It's still early and I don't want to go home yet."
"Really?" Cilan looked at her as she nodded. He shrugged and led her in a new direction.
They arrived at the bar a half-hour later. Instead of sitting at his usual bar stool in the corner, the two sat in a booth. Cilan had ordered a scotch, while Kei ordered a cosmopolitan. As they waited for their drinks Cilan decided to use the time to find out more about her. He wanted an idea of just whom he was going to board, whether she was ditzy like Bunny, or smart but arrogant like Bulma.
Kei had revealed that she was two years younger than him, had a fascination for engineering since she was young. She also told him that she grew up moving from place to place as her father served in the Royal Army, and that she lost her mother to a brain aneurysm when she was 15.
"After she died, your dad took care of you?" Cilan asked somewhat detached.
She nodded, "You could say that, but it was more like we took care of each other. He'd retired years earlier after the Cell crisis, and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her." Tears formed in her eyes that threatened to fall, but she wiped those away quickly.
"Where is he now?" Cilan wanted to move on, as he felt uncomfortable when a woman cried around him.
"He's living in South City now," after a few calming breaths, she had dried her eyes. The waitress brought their order moments later. After taking a long sip from her cocktail, she regarded him coolly, "What about your family?"
The saiyan took a sip of his drink, debating internally if he should tell her the truth. "How much do you know about Saiyans?"
"My aunt and cousin told me that you were a race of warriors that's extinct because your planet was destroyed."
If she knew that much he felt she could know who he was. Except for the detail about his true father, he told her about his mother and why she was sent away. About how she died, and how he was put into military service.
"I'm so sorry," she put her hand on his.
He eyed her hand wearily, as he was reminded again how soft her hand was, "Don't apologize, wasn't your fault."
"I know, but it's just so sad. I at least had my father for me, but you were orphaned."
Cilan didn't respond but instead drained the tumbler and motioned for another drink. This went on for an hour, mostly with Kei talking about her college life and her studies; he had chosen to just listen to her. He found her to be smart like Bulma, but didn't have the arrogance, though she had her moments of flirtiness like Bunny.
When it was near 10 o'clock, Kei had asked if they could leave as she had classes in the morning and she didn't want to go to them with a hangover. As it was, she was beginning to get the slight buzzed feeling of the alcohol.
The cool air hit them again as they walked the lonely streets. Not knowing how, they had subconsciously made their way back to the park, and didn't realize it until they were near the spot Kei was held up.
She looked at the tree from the concrete pathway, before she turned back to him, "It'll be two months tomorrow when you saved me."
Cilan looked at the tree himself, and nodded.
"Thanks again, I'll always owe you for that," she couldn't express enough the gratitude she had for him.
"Don't mention it," he replied gruffly before he walked ahead. Kei grinned and shook her head at his abrasiveness before she walked faster to catch up to him.
They arrived at her apartment fifteen minutes later. It was an older style brick building that had seen better days. The bricks were dark from mildew, and the foundation had some cracks in it. Cilan was not entirely impressed with it.
"So this is my home," Kei began as she fished for her keys from her purse. "It's not glamorous looking, but it's my home."
"Kei." Cilan began,"What Bulma and Bunny said earlier, about moving in."
She waved her hand, "I told you, you don't have to listen to them. I'm fine here, besides I don't want to burden you."
He rubbed the back of his head then "You wouldn't be a burden for me. I don't stay at my place except to sleep, so you'd have the place mostly to yourself."
"Are you sure? You seemed upset when Bulma ordered you to."
"That had more to do with her ordering me around, not about you."
Kei considered it, if she moved, it would put her closer to campus and she wouldn't have to deal with the perverts. She grinned at him, "Ok, if it's no problem for you, I can move in by next month."
Cilan nodded and was about to turn away, when she surprised him by hugging him and kissing him on the cheek.
"Thanks for all you're doing for me," she said before grinning as she saw his cheeks tinged with red.
"Don't mention it," he replied gruffly again before he turned and walked away, wondering if he made the right decision. Kei smiled at his retreating form before she walked inside the apartment building.
Millions of light years away from Earth, a small chunk of ice was floating across the galaxy, its destination being the Earth. At its current rate it would still take at least half a year for it to reach the blue planet. Inside the ice was a single saiyan space pod that was on a voyage to that planet for the last nine years, one that began in the southern galaxy.
The saiyan space pod would have reached Earth in a year under normal circumstances. However this particular pod was damaged slightly from a planetary explosion, which reduced its engine output. It also reduced its anti-frosting technology, which is why it was encapsulated in ice, but still stayed on the same course.
Inside the pod itself sat one lone occupant, who during the nine years of frozen slumber, had one recurring thought: 'Kakkarot'
To Be Continued.