The Heart of Adventurers
By LastationLover5000
Chapter 42 - KILL THE KING
One Month Prior
PLANET FREEZA 444. ARRIVAL IMMINENT.
A cool, mechanical voice sounded throughout the entirety of the ship. Tullece was pleased. It made sense Freeza's command ship would make such good time; one could not survey an Empire if the distance between the word of the Emperor and his subjects was too vast. This held true on terrestrial worlds as well as on a Galactic scale. It had been only two standard days since they'd departed from Namek, but they were already closing in on Planet 444, which was a considerable distance away.
The benefits of modern space faring, grinned Tullece. "We should begin our descent at any moment." He said, mostly to himself. Turning on a communications pathway, he sent a signal down to the planet. Freeza's ship had it's own unique encryption, and no one would bother to verify the passengers. After all, the Emperor couldn't ever lose, could he? When he saw the code cleared, he grinned. The self-assurance of a fool was aiding him. Tullece would merely need to make sure he never suffered the same flaw. Flipping on an inter-ship comlink, Tullece called into it.
"Aspara, you heard the announcement. Come to me and bring our guest."
The wait was almost as pleasurable as the sight that greeted him. Aspara entered through one of the automatic doors, stone-faced, leading Chi-Chi. The collared woman's black eyes burned with rage, and her cuffed hands were clenched into fists.
"I have brought her, Father," said Aspara quietly.
"Well done," smiled Tullece. "As you see, we are approaching Planet Freeza 444. This will be our main base for the moment, until we make our next move. Additionally—"
"Stop talkin' like I'm one of you," snarled Chi-Chi. "What do you think you're doin', trussin' me up like this and taking me all this way? I expect you plan to take my innocence?"
Tullece laughed, a mad, bark-like sound. "More or less, though I wish you'd not phrase it so poorly. I am inducting you into my Empire. You are to be my Empress, with the authority as myself and Aspara. You will have everything."
"I don't want a thing you have to offer!" Chi-Chi shouted. She rushed forward, lunging madly for Tullece. She'd only been awake for a few hours, but taking stock of her situation was enough to make her livid. Even with her hands bound, she could still fight. However, as she closed in—
"Aspara. Now."
At Tullece's order, an immense surge of electrical power rushed through Chi-Chi's body. Every single muscle in her body clenched, and she seized up, dropping to the floor as if struck. Her nerves were on fire, the course rushing from the collar on her neck throughout her entire body. Even when the electrical stimulus was cut off, Chi-Chi continued to lay there, twitching violently.
"What you want no longer matters," said Tullece, bending down to look at her. "If your wishes were under consideration, you wouldn't be here. So simply stop resisting. The amperage on that collar can go much higher."
Chi-Chi couldn't form the words she wanted, couldn't tell him exactly what he should do to himself and at what intensity. Instead, Chi-Chi merely glared as best she could, one set of dark eyes boring into another.
Aspara was repulsed. She did not fancy torture outside of combat. It was one thing for two parties to engage in mutual violence; a fight to the death was beautiful, even sensual in a way. If Tullece killed Chi-Chi in battle, Aspara could see the appeal. But it was clear her father has gone past his normal cruelty, and Aspara loathed being party to it. With a sudden lurch, the ship began a rapid descent. Freeza Planet 444 was fully in view now Taking into account all of Freeza's conquered worlds, Planet 444 was perhaps Tullece's favourite.
It was a rocky world, as was nearly every planet inducted into the Freeza Army, with strips of cloud covering that gave it an almost striped look. The light hit Planet 444 at just a way which made it refract red on the surface, giving both the sky and the oceans - which took up forty-five percent of the planet - a ruby-hued look that betrayed its inherent value to the Empire. If Tullece had to make a comparison, the planet itself was much like a Blood Ruby, and he longed to make it his. It was not merely for the aesthetics, however, that he craved Planet 444. It was the primary base of operations used by Freeza's father, the former King, Cold. He may have killed Freeza, but Tullece could never truly claim the Empire until Cold was dead, and he intended to do just that.
The descent was surprisingly quick. As they entered the atmosphere of Planet 444, the air around the ship did not combust as one would expect. The craft of the Freeza Army were built to resist that air compression, using a combination of repulsors as well as the ship's own unique engine, effectively creating a kind of "barrier" to displace the otherwise compressed air and prevent the damage that would be caused by the normally 1600° C air temperature. Around them, Tullece saw all sorts of buildings in the style of the Freeza Army - sleek, pale white, and high-reaching. They resembled Freeza himself.
These would be among the first things to go.
The clawed-landing attachments sprung forth from beneath the ship, and they touched down on the cushioned surface reserved specifically for Freeza's ship. Aspara braced herself. She hadn't been back at a proper Freeza Army base since the raid on Earth, and even worse, she was in the presence of her father, who would not make this a simple trip. How would the army react when it was two Saiyans and a tag-along who stepped out of Freeza's ship, and not the Emperor himself? Would they have to fight? Did her father have a plan?
"Aspara, bring our guest to her feet," Tullece instructed. Aspara complied, lifting Chi-Chi upwards. This did not last long, and the woman crumpled to the ground, still unable to properly move. Tullece sighed. "Simply drag her along then. We don't have time for her to play games." Aspara complied, slipping her fingers into the collar around Chi-Chi's neck and simply pulling. The woman's limp body was dragged along as the two walked towards the entrance. She was astounded. Her father showed no fear, and exuded complete confidence. Did he really expect to take on an entire army by himself?
The hatch opened, the ramp slamming into the cushioned platform. The three began to descend to the ground, Tullece lifted himself off and floated down - (Is Father too good to walk now? thought Aspara bitterly) - while Aspara walked behind him, the still-twitching Chi-Chi trailing beside her. Reaching the end of the ramp, two soldiers in Combat Jackets and wearing helmets that concealed their faces rushed forward, blasters at the ready. Aspara grimaced. So they were going to have to fight. Dropping Chi-Chi, whose head hit the ground with a dull thud!, Aspara readied herself...
...only to be entirely thrown back when both soldiers kneeled before Tullece.
"ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ, ᴍʏ ʟᴏʀᴅ," one of the individuals said, his voice thick through a modulator in the mask.
"ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴜᴄᴄᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ, ꜱɪʀ? ꜰʀᴇᴇᴢᴀ ʜᴀꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ ꜱʟᴀɪɴ?" the second individual asked, their voice also through a modulator. Both kept their heads bowed low, showing utter reverence to the man who stood before them. "ꜱʜᴀʟʟ ᴡᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴘʜᴀꜱᴇ, ᴍʏ ʟᴏʀᴅ?"
Aspara's mouth stood agape. These people, members of the Freeza Army, were already showing fealty towards her father. Comically, the woman stared at the two kneeling soldiers, then to her father, and then back at the ship, trying to piece together when he even would have had the time to do it when he'd spent the bulk of their trip healing in that tank. Blinking rapidly in confusion, Aspara couldn't make sense of it at all.
Tullece smiled broadly. "It is good to see you, my faithful. Yes, I have succeeded; 'Lord' Freeza has been dead for two days now. However, the throne is not mine yet. I cannot fulfill my promises to you and the others who have shown me your loyalty. Not until I have slain Cold. Is the King here?"
"ʏ-ʏᴇꜱ, ᴍʏ ʟᴏʀᴅ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪɴɢ ɪꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ʜɪꜱ ᴛʜʀᴏɴᴇ ʀᴏᴏᴍ. ᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴇɴ ᴀʀᴇ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛʟʏ ꜱᴛᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ ɢᴜᴀʀᴅ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀᴡᴀɪᴛ ʏᴏᴜ!"
"You all have done well," said Tullece. "I will go see him, and this will all be over. But I have a mission for the both of you now. Our project: is it complete?"
It took the soldiers a moment to realise what their leader was asking for. One of them spoke, and there was a slight hesitation in their voice. "ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ...ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴇꜱꜱ, ꜱɪʀ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ ɪɴ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴄᴏɴꜱᴄɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴄᴀʟʟ ɪᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ. ᴡᴇ ʟᴀᴄᴋ ꜱᴜꜰꜰɪᴄɪᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴇᴛʜᴏᴅꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴇɴꜱᴜʀᴇ ɪᴛꜱ ᴠɪᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ."
"Then I bring you exactly what you need," said Tullece. "Aspara, hand me the remote." Aspara tossed it carefully to her father, who caught the remote in his hand and pressed the button in the same motions. Chi-Chi's pained screams filled the air, and she writhed and twitched on the ground, having another shock-induced seizure. When the electric current stopped, she also stopped. Drool escaped her mouth, but she did not speak, merely twitching again. "Take this woman to the chamber, and give her the treatment. I will check on your progress after I have handled the King." Tullece himself threw the jerking form of Chi-Chi towards his soldiers, who, still kneeling, managed to catch her. "I have faith in your capabilities."
"ＭＹ ＬＯＲＤ！"
With this simple response, the two of them stood at full height, and, carrying Chi-Chi, ran off.
"We have an appointment," said Tullece, motioned Aspara to follow him. Aspara complied, but carefully, keeping her eyes peeled. Her tail's fur was on end, and it was clear she felt unease. As they walked, she decided to voice her concerns.
"Father, how did they know Freeza was dead? Why were they waiting for you to arrive here, almost as if they expected it? And why aren't we having to fight our way through entire hordes of soldiers?" Her voice was kept low, so it came out at a hiss, however, she was clearly in disbelief. Aspara had completely expected to be overwhelmed by their enemy and possibly even killed. "You couldn't have planned for this."
"I did," replied Tullece simply. He allowed himself a smile. His daughter was brilliant in combat, not especially sharp in the mind. She was much like Kakarrot this way. "Everything in an organisation comes down to who you know. I was able to promise those who consider themselves my followers benefits - advantages, to serving under me that being in Freeza's employ simply does not provide. The idea is as old as the "bait and stick" motivation, yet you should at some point actually let them catch what they're chasing." Snickering, he continued. "Freeza never understood that. The thought of a reward only fuels for so long: people need to know their work is appreciated, that their Emperor will work for them as much as they work for him. These will be my people, not simply my underlings."
Aspara blinked. She couldn't understand that. "Wouldn't that give them too much leeway?"
"Not at all," replied Tullece. "Treat someone well, and they will go to war for you."
The Saiyan woman inwardly snarled, but she tried to swallow the sound. That was certainly not how he had raised her. Was his philosophy different when dealing with the masses? Or had he realised the "rule-by-fear" approach wasn't good only after she'd become too scared to even make eye contact with him?
The two walked in silence, passing by several members of the Army, many of whom even nodded or waved at Tullece. It became more and more plain to Aspara; many of these soldiers knew her father was planning to make his move. And they were supporting him. A looming building came into view, built largely in the same style as the other ones that surrounded it: the same pale, smooth format that befitted the style of Freeza and his father. This building, however, was far larger, and adorned with spikes in a way that almost made it seem as if it housed a demon. Two guards stood in front of it, each holding a blaster. At the sight of Tullece, the soldiers stood at immediate attention. These two were not masked.
"My Lord," one of them nodded.
"Is it time?" the other asked.
"Yes," replied Tullece. "Take your leave. I feel this will not go down easily."
"Yes, my lord," nodded both, who departed. Tullece placed a hand on the large, ornate doors which stood in his way. They alone stood out among the white body of the building, as they were a deep grey. He pushed against them, and slowly eased himself through the door into a darkened hallway. His eyes adjusted quickly, and he saw the hallway merely led to another room; while this was Cold's preferred base, it was not, in fact, his true Palace. That lay on another planet, one that Tullece intended to take as well. But for now, Planet 444, where Cold spent the bulk of his time, had been provided with a building that was literally a throne room and nothing else. Walking through the hallway, Aspara at his heels, Tullece passed through another double set of doors into overly large room. The ceiling was high and domed, and let in very little light. It was spacious, and seemed built for an individual far larger, who would have found these proportions standard, even average.
This was the throne room of someone without the slightest bit of elegance. Tullece would make his adjustments in time.
At the far end of the room, bathed in the minimal light which came from the ceiling, was a gigantic throne. Tall, carved seemingly from stone, and as imposing as the building that contained it, the chair had a set of stairs which led up to it. Sitting on this throne was a man of impressive stature and musculature structure, with horns jutting out from both sides of his head, which was white with a domed purple cranium, similar to Freeza. The skin surrounding this demon-like creature's arms and legs were a dark purple, while his feet, chest, and face were a lighter shade. The armor-like plating on his wrists and ankles were solidly white. He wore a Combat jacket had black plating, and was cloaked in a cape of deep crimson.
"..What brings you here?" the voice from the man was deep, and carried throughout the throne room. Short of the guards who were outside, he had no one else guarding him. This was, in and of itself, due mostly to his arrogance. So self-assured of his power, the man who was called by the entire army as the "Great King" Cold, that he did not believe he actually need protection. "What did those two think they were doing to let you in without an appointment? You cannot be such a fool as to wear that Combat Jacket and yet stand here, ignorant of who I am."
Tullece grinned in spite of himself. This was it. Right here. This was the moment he'd been waiting for, from the second he earned a place at Freeza's side. Normally, he would choose his words carefully, but that didn't matter here. Cold had no options which ended in him making it out of this alive. His time was ticking, and the only difference in the length was how amusing Tullece found the ensuing conversation. "Hello, Cold. My name is Tullece, and yes, I am very aware of who you are." He raised a hand, for Cold showed every sign of indignation and wanting to interrupt this whelp who lacked even the courtesy to address him by title. "I'll be blunt: I've killed your son, Freeza, and I am here to claim what was his as mine. How you respond will decide how we handle this - you know we Saiyans are predisposed to violence."
Cold stared at Tullece in silence - a silence that Aspara felt was far too overbearing. She could feel it, as if it had weight. What her father had just said to this man was tantamount to treason, a fact that did not matter as he'd already claimed to have killed Freeza. Anything he said now was just extra sentencing. The King, who had been relaxing with his chin on his hands, sat up to his full height, looking down on Tullece with eyes as cold as his name. "You claim that you, a mere Saiyan, killed my son? I have been suspicious of a lack of transmissions from the boy, however, I did not believe he was dead." The lizard-like man paused in his speech, standing up. "And now, here you stand, not only with the blood of my son on your hands - you, a mere Saiyan - but you threaten me? Do you think that wise, boy?"
"I wouldn't come here with merely empty words," replied Tullece. "Your son is dead, at the hands of a mere Saiyan. And you will be next."
Cold stood. His full height was easily over 200 cm, and he would have dwarfed Aspara and Tullece without the added height from the throne's pedestal. A deafening crack could be heard throughout the building, as Cold's aura began to flare. It was a vivid lavender, highlighting him with a brilliant glow. His eyes shone crimson, Cold's countenance was livid. The anger coursing through his body could be felt in his ki as it rushed throughout the building. "Intelligence does not come easily to you Saiyans. For the death of my son, and for your treason in my own face - you will die, Saiyan!" Cold raised a hand, pointing a finger towards Tullece. The digit glowed with bright light, discharging a thick kikōha from his fingertips.
The blast crashed into Tullece, who had braced himself with both hands. He felt it lift him off his feet, carrying him back through the hallway he'd come and directly crashing through the double doors. It did not, however, pierce him, as the kikōha Freeza released typically did.
He took this as a good sign.
Skidding to a halt right outside the throne building, Tullece braced himself. Cold had come barreling after him, crashing through the doorway and breaking it apart in his haste to make it to Tullece. The Saiyan cast aside the last vestiges of the kikōha, sending it skyward, and deftly avoided a right hook from Cold's giant arm, weaving to the side. The crimson and black eyes stared at each other, Cold's aura continuing to blaze with fury.
"My family has had its place in this galaxy for centuries," snarled Cold. "We are counted among the acquaintances of high gods, and we have knowledge of aberrations from the earliest points of creation. Do you intend to sweep all that aside in your quest for power, Saiyan filth?"
Catching an incoming blow, Tullece twisted Cold's arm, and pulled the tyrant in close. Grinning, Tullece spoke directly to the man's face, never breaking eye contact. "All regimes crumble eventually," he said. "Your clan wasn't the first to rule this galaxy. Now, it is the time of the Saiyans. You may have reduced our species, but ironically, we shall rise now!"
Releasing Cold's arm, Tullece spun, slamming the toe of his boot into the man's side. It shattered that portion of his Combat Jacket, and sent Cold, coughing fiercely, hurtling into a nearby building. "Apologies. I can't damage my new throne room until its official demolition."
An explosion of ki lit the area up around Cold's fallen form, which was collapsed under rubble. It flew in every direction, slamming into other buildings, as Cold stood tall again "Impudent brat!" snarled the Great King, his body shining with ki. "You presume that a Saiyan can bring down the Frost Demon Clan?!"
"I do," replied Tullece. "I've already killed your son. You don't even have a fraction of his strength at full power," Tullece expelled a kikōha from his palm towards Cold, who used both hands to catch it and deflect it, only for it to burst open on contact, showering him with smaller bullets.
"You lost the moment your first technique failed to pierce my flesh."
Cold felt steam rising from his body, the burns from the spheres taking hold. He pointed a finger towards Tullece, and horizontal rain burst from, bombarding Tullece. The logic was simple. If one couldn't do it, then what about a hundred?
Each blast burst away in a different direction as they collided with Tullece. The Saiyan had raised a palm, deflecting every blast. Not a single one found purchase against his skin, rendered null by his simplest movement. Tullece seemed to vanish into thin air, rematerialising inches from Cold. In one aspect movement, be slammed his knee into the man's stomach - one of them at least - forcing him to sputter wildly.
Out of the throne room door came Aspara, looking dazed. Cold had rushed past her in his mad break for her father, nearly knocking her flat. It had taken a minute to come around, though she wasn't sure she wouldn't have preferred staying out of it. As she exited the building, Aspara saw her father beating Cold back, and was astounded. He hadn't been a bark.
Tullece and Cold, the two combatants, began to rush skyward. Tullece used the back of his wrist to parry an incoming kick, responding with a snap kick to to the chin, stunning Cold from the shock. A tanned fist crammed its way into Cold's jaw, only adding to the pain. He staggered back in the air, holding his face, grimacing in agony.
"You can't transform," said Tullece. "You lost the bulk of your strength when Freeza was born. You lack the finesse a true warrior has - what use would you have for combat experience when you have your minions?" Tullece laughed mercilessly. "Want to know a secret? I'm not even using half my strength right now."
"Then tell me," sneered Cold. "Do you think you're hardy enough to survive a planetary detonation? And even if you are - my species has evolved to be able to withstand the vacuum of space. But what of you?"
Tullece eyes him warily. Saiyans had evolved to withstand harsh conditions, that was true. Even in a layer of air as thin as a planet's stratosphere, a Saiyan wouldn't suffer oxygen deprivation. On planets with heavier oxygen, it took quite a bit to suffer oxygen toxicity as well - more than the average species. But a vacuum? That was a different story.
"I thought not," said Cold, reading it on Tullece's face. Rising higher, he cupped his hands together. Ki crackled between both palms, forming into a sphere the Frost demon clansman raised high. "I CAN ALWAYS HEAD TO A NEW BASE! I'LL SNUFF YOU OUT BEFORE YOUR HEAD RUNS TOO HIGH WITH DREAMS OF TREASON!" Cold tossed the sphere towards Planet 444, sending it hurtling the core—
—-only for Tullece to catch the sphere easily. Applying powerful grip strength, the Saiyan sent the ball back into the sky, narrowly missing Cold, who gaped in terror. "Had you been silent, you might have caught me off guard. This planet holds value to me. I'd appreciate you keeping it intact."
Blurring his body, Tullece lunged upwards, closing the distance easily between himself and Cold. He clenched both hands together, slamming the makeshift fist down onto the Great King's head. Cold spiralled downward, crashing into the gleaming surface of the planet. Almost as if finally determining it was safe to do so, the soldiers of the Army began to arrive - they crawled out from their places of hiding, stopped their work to fully observe the battle occurring on their own base planet.
Cold was crouched low, wiping blood from his chin. Seeing the soldiers surrounding their battle, he shouted, enraged, "WHAT ARE YOU FOOLS DOING?! ATTACK THIS MAN! OVERWHELM HIM WITH NUMBERS AND BRING THIS TRAITOR DOWN!"
No one budged.
Aspara was stunned. Certainly not ever person here was loyal to her father. Why didn't the ones loyal to the Frost Demon Clan launch an assault?
A snarl escaped Cold's throat. Jabbing a finger in the direction of a random soldier, he killed him instantly with a blast through the chest. "THIS IS THE FATE FOR ALL OF YOU IF YOU DISOBEY MY ORDERS! ATTACK!"
Despite the slaughter of a fellow, the soldiers remained motionless.
"Don't you get it?" said Tullece, descending from the air in front of Cold. "They're waiting."
"Waiting...?!" For the first time, fear edged into Cold's voice. Fear at the unknown. Fear at losing control of the situation. "What do you mean?!"
"Only one of us is making it out of this alive," said Tullece. "And they want to know who." The Saiyan spread his arms wide, and called out to the observing army. "Soldiers! My name is Tullece! I am the Saiyan who slew Freeza!"
Mutters and gasps from the crowd. As Apara expected, not everyone was in on Tullece's machinations - he'd gathered enough followers, but hadn't convinced everyone here. Heads turned, eyes widened, but still, no one moved.
"This army, and this Empire, belong to me!" continued the purple-clad Saiyan. "However, it will not be the same as under the Frost Demon Clan! And to prove my point - to show that I would not sink so low as to ask you, my men, to do something I am unwilling to, I have fought with the Great King Cold personally! Now watch - as the old regime comes to an end!"
Tullece and Cold's battle concluded with a crushing finality. It happened before Cold had time to react, without the time to so much as make a protest. Tullece's hand touched to the chest of the Great King's Combat Chest, right where the primary heart of the Frost Demon's binary vascular system lay; a squelching explosion filled the ears or auditory receptors of every being present. Tullece's hand ripped through the Combat Jacket, through flesh, bone, and sinew, to grab Cold's primary heart and push it out of his back. He clutched the organ, still beating fiercely, and crushed it in his grip.
Blood erupted from Cold's mouth, slopping entirely down his front and splashing onto the ground. Tullece ripped his arm back out of Cold's body, watching the Frost Demon fall to his knees, blood pouring from his fresh wound. The demonic creature stared up at Tullece in horror. "T-Think about what you're doing...! The Empire cannot survive without my clan...! W-We can work together...my son was weak, he wasn't fit for the throne. But you—"
A hand raised in front of his face silenced Cold the Great King.
"My dynasty has no room for anyone except my myself, my betrothed, and my heirs," snarled Tullece. "And I do not entertain cowards." Light engulfed Cold's entire form, erupting from the sphere Tullece had created and spiraling into the sky as a pillar of light. As easily as one would brush themselves of dust, Tullece had erased the last remaining member of Freeza's family from the galaxy. His hand lowered, but when it did, it was slowly. Tullece had expected victory. He'd come here, fully set in his mind that he could and would indeed be victorious. Yet it still didn't ring true.
Even when the soldiers around began to chant his name, even those who had not been his men before he'd arrived, it did not set in. Even when Tullece saw his daughter, watching him in wide-eyed amazement, it did not set in. The brother of Bardock looked down at his dark-skinned hand, turning everything over and over in his mind. The lineage of the Frost Demons had been eradicated. They were gone, and he was what was rising to take their place. A Saiyan was the Emperor of the Universe. Unfurling his tail from around his waist, Tullece turned and addressed the soldiers.
"My people..." said the Emperor slowly. "We have many changes to make. But I shall lead you all into the future. Follow me, and you will fear nothing."
A/N:
LastationLover5000: And here it is, the second half of what originally was part of one chapter. The way my co-author and I did these, both chapters felt so well contained that I felt they belonged on their own. So this is my contribution, the final chapter before the Emperor of the Universe Arc. I enjoy writing Tullece. If you'd told me before we started this that Tullece would be a primary focus, I'd have laughed you off. But my friend and I have managed to take a bare skeleton presented in a video game spin-off of a character that had no purpose and make him amazing. And this chapter was just another showcasing of that. I love showing how Tullece is, and will be, different from Freeza's clan. I hope that you all will enjoy what the future brings. Also a shout-out to DragonANGL. If I am being honest, it wasn't Tullece who forget Cold - I did. My co-author likely would have remembered before me, but our astute reader caught my mistake first, and brought it to my attention. Now, because of them, you all have this chapter, and I love it. We'll see you all very soon! Demod20: Much like the previous chapter, while only one of us wrote this the other was present for all of it. This chapter was long overdue, to highlight just how deep Tullece's gambit runs in Freeza's Army. From the moment of his betrayal it shows how he has formed real political favor to each and every soldier, scientist, scout and bureaucrat willing to hear him out. Practicing his Godfather role, our space mafioso makes the current leader an example of, so much so that not even his faithful wish to interfere. Perhaps if Cold hadn't been so callous and let his son's cruelty go rampant, his people would probably have been more resistant to turning; but in a cutthroat business of intergalactic Land Sharks, one's minions don't stay loyal when a better offer is made. Can't wait to show you guys what our future chapters have in store for you!