A low rumble sent shockwaves through his bones. As the ship fought, his eyes open and his concentration breaks for a moment. In that moment, he sees the world again, the planet that he had seen once before, several lightyears away- a colossal orb made out of swirling golden sand. A desert planet. Life wasn't likely to exist down there, but it gave him better odds at surviving that he had up here.
His eyes shut tightly again. Only a moment. He can't afford to waste even a single second. He takes a deep breath. His body relaxes, eventually. The shaking fades away and he lets his breath go, concentrating on his hands. The ship had been caught in a gravitational pull again, that's all it was. Its engines were straining against the planet, fighting against gravity despite the odds.
And winning.
There wasn't much time left. He couldn't let them reach their destination. If that happened, he knew he stood no chance against all of his captors at once. Even on this ship alone, he wasn't certain that he could take everyone. He just had to hope that they had been careless about who they had guarding him, he didn't have another choice.
Leathery, grey shoulders decorated with strange bumps like rocks relaxed as the alien laid his head back, breathing in deeply. Two large round eyes sat almost outside of their sockets on both sides of his head, giving him an almost gecko-like appearance. His whole body was greyish black other than a pair of greenish yellow stripes running down his cheeks and neck before vanishing underneath his prisoner's uniform. He shuffled again with a grimace. It had only been a moment, but the rumble had thrown off his concentration if only slightly. The heavy Restraining Bolt driven into his chest sat like a weight, holding him back. He breathed again, letting his body turn numb. It was like Forrest had told him all that time ago. He was allowing his Chakra to be blocked. The only way to unblock it...
Was to let it all go and exist in the moment.
In his minds eye, he could see the moment he existed in. A bleak world of curved obsidian walls making up his cage, the tips of the cell open, as though this was the claw of a gigantic monster he was caught in. The walls were pitch black, serving to drain the room of almost all light. Save for one. The intense rays of a fluorescent red bulb had burrowed into his skin. It kept his neck hot, his skin dry. His concentration off. But no longer. Like an artificial god, it held him here by the whims of its master. And like an artificial god, it was an illusion. Its power was only what he gave it, and he would give it no more.
His hands were bound together by a pair of steel-woven gauntlets too heavy for him to lift in his current state, trapping his hands against the titanium ground. His feet were no better, though they were trapped by shackles built into the ground- and held a worse torture. A chain connected his heels to his neck, forcing him to kneel. Keeping him from resting, trying to keep him from focusing.
They had failed. All of them.
He breathed in deeply once more, closing his eyes again and flexing his fingers beneath the manacles. His adversaries, they thought they were being clever by hiding his hands from him. They believed that these restraints would keep his energy from properly flowing. That this position, the light above, the lack of food- that these things would be enough to break him. And failing all of that, they believed that the Restraining Bolt clipped to his chest would keep his energy locked inside.
Tiny arcs of light formed between his fingertips, and he could feel more energy surging from his chest, flowing away from the Bolt through his veins, towards his hands. It had taken focus, it had taken effort, it had taken everything he had... But he would break their impression. He was not as easy to defeat as they would hope.
His captors would be here soon to bring him his meal. That would be his moment.
That would be his moment to escape.
Frieza sighed as he marched through the deeper segments of the Plateau, taking a deep breath in an effort to steady himself. Breakfast had been surprisingly hearty this morning, and though he usually declined his species did have to eat something eventually, and given that this was his last day here he decided to oblige the natives... But that had proven to be more than anticipated. For whatever reason, a feast was being held in the Mess Hall. Frieza wasn't sure why, not immediately at least. Then he noticed them, the men. They'd returned from the ship. That must have been the reason, a celebration for their success! Frieza had been more than happy to celebrate with them after that... But perhaps eating so much had been a mistake. For as much as he loathed the idea of consuming bugs, they were crab-like enough to stomach... And surprisingly not so bad. In any case, he'd had his fill.
The smile on his face hardly wavered as he strode through the Plateau, however. In just a few short hours, perhaps less, he would finally be on his way back to civilization- real civilization. As he walked, he ran his hand across the ridged, rough stone that made up the cavern he was in. For only a moment did his smile dip, wishing to feel anything other than the numbness he had grown accustomed to while using these cybernetics. The sensation of touch was probably the thing he missed most. He could feel the rock's texture, the rough, bump-covered stone was like touching dozens of grains of sand, but it was muffled, like he was touching it through a pair of gloves.
But then his smile returned as he realized- he was leaving soon. And that meant that he no longer had to abide by their laws, by their understanding of cybernetic enhancements. Oh yes indeed, new cybernetics called his name.
Ah, but where should he go to get them? Somewhere he couldn't be found so easily, somewhere he could bully back-alley surgeons to attach more advanced cyberware to his body... But where? Of all the planets in his Empire, which one would be safe enough? Loyal enough. It had to be somewhere big, somewhere so grand and so rich that enough people lived there that he could escape...
And then, his eyes lit up.
Frieza Planet 47. A world made of durasteel and neoncrete, built of gold and silver, a titanic city the size of the planet itself stretched into the atmosphere, transforming it into a star all its own with blazing florescent lights capable of being seen for lightyears away.
With thirty-billion lifeforms living on it, it was the perfect place for a man of his stature to hide. Especially if he took on his True Form, though he might settle for his Father's preferred look- his Second Reduction Form. It might be safer...
Either way, it was the perfect place for him to get newer cybernetics, ones more suited for wielding his immense power. Ones that could feel temperature, ones that suited his biology with five fingers and three toes, ones that looked as though they belonged. He was almost there, almost free from this prison of sand and heat, and nearly- nearly- ready to face his older brother and take back what he'd stolen.
But there was still something left to be done- the ship, as it seemed, was being towed to this location by a group of Sand Striders. Once it arrived and he and Ford had done a check on it, then he would be free to leave... But even the thought of waiting could not kill his grin, and so Frieza took a deep breath and strode forward with such a grin that even the few others in the darkened hallway took notice of and offered him a smile in reply, as though his own celebration had become infectious.
And someone took notice eventually, "Eager to leave I see." Frieza stopped not far from the bend that would take him into the hallway which would lead outside, his smile transitioning to a smirk as he did. Bendez stood a few feet ahead, leaning against the wall of the cavern. The older man had a smile of his own plastered onto his lips, and he offered Frieza a small nod, "We'll be sad to see you go, you know." He said, getting up from his place, "Especially Yota."
Frieza rolled his eyes, "Oh please, I'm sure most of you will be positively exuberant that I'm gone." He replied, looking up towards the man.
"Not me." Bendez replied, stepping up from the wall and approaching the Arcosian. He stopped for a moment, as if to consider his next words, but then his hand came forward and two pats came over the former Emperor's shoulder. Frieza recoiled for a moment at being touched, but allowed Bendez to finish. They tended to show emotion that way, affection the most. Frieza never cared for it... But he didn't mind it either, "I'll miss having someone I can send outside so I don't have to." He joked, his smile becoming a grin as he did.
"Yes verrry funny. I'm sure that meathead will be more than happy to take my place." Frieza rolls his eyes and tries to look unamused, but he can't help but smirk just a tad, "Besides, you look like you could do with a sun bath, old man. You're so pale. Not like me, no, I've been tanning." His jaws clench and he speaks with a grin, but through grit teeth. And it was true. What had once been pristine ivory skin had started to tan, if only a little bit, "I'm not supposed to do that, you know."
"Yeah alright, maybe you've got a point. I'm sorry..." The old man trails off, but smiles gently once more. "You know... You mean a whole to a lot of people here. We're not going to forget all you've done for us. I just... Want you to know that... Well, we appreciate you, and all the sacrifices you've made for us- they weren't in vain."
Frieza... Stopped. He'd never heard words like those before. No one had ever said that they appreciated what he'd done. Even less had told him that he meant something to them. And as he pondered those words, the man felt something stir in his chest. Like someone had opened a cage and let a mouse loose inside of his ribs, its tiny hands scurrying over his heart. The start of something came into his eyes, but before he could say what-
Bendez smacked his shoulder a few times, causing him to jolt away from those feelings, refocusing on the old man, "We are going to be sad to see you go." He reaffirmed, looking down at the Arcosian with sad eyes, "Especially Yota. You're her best friend, sad as that sounds to you I'm sure. She looks up to you. She might not want to be you but... Your stories stuck with her, and it'd mean the world to her if you went to see her one more time before you left."
"I-"
His voice cracked.
It had never cracked.
He cleared his throat, then spoke, now in a more defined manner. "I suppose it would only be right. For a child, she was one of the few here I could tolerate in extended periods. Fine, I'll go see to it." Frieza shook Bendez's hand off, attempting to appear unaffected by his words, and stepped away.
He only let out his breath when he was certain that he was all alone in the hallway.
The girl was gone. Her room was barren, empty as if she hadn't even been there that night. And worse, her mother was there.
And she was distressed.
"Yota is missing!"
"My, what wonderful powers of observation you have. I might have never known if you hadn't said so." Frieza replied with a sarcastic roll of his eyes, and then almost immediately regretted it as the woman turned to him with a glare. It wasn't her words themselves that hurt, it wasn't even her fists at times. It was her volume.
"DON'T JOKE AT A TIME LIKE THIS!" She screamed, and the Emperor simply gave her a look as she raised her hand to strike him. He tolerated her antics up until now, but if she struck him this time, he would surely ensure her hand broke against her head. Seeing his threat, Hoda put her hand down, glaring defiantly despite it. "Seriously! Take it seriously for once!"
"She couldn't have possibly gone far, just send Merce out to go look!" He ordered, "We both know which way she's gone anyway."
But the woman wouldn't budge, crossing her arms, "Its your stories that make her want to explore!" She replies, and Frieza groans. He hated to admit it, but there was truth to that. Ever since he knew her, Yota had been excessively curious, and worse- she had gotten a taste for wandering after he started sharing his exploits on other worlds. He couldn't count the number of times he'd been sent out to rescue the brat from the desert.
And yet...
"Its not my job to keep an eye on your brat!" Frieza said, crossing his arms indignantly, though he glances away as he does, "You really must learn to keep a better eye on her! I'm leaving today you know, I won't be able to come rescue her every time she buggers off somewhere from now on." He throws his hand up, gesturing wildly at the cave wall. Hoda glares daggers into him, but she knows he's right. She gets this look whenever she wants to argue a point she knows she'll lose. Defiance combined with acquiescence, a wonderful combination to see.
And so, she backs down ever so slightly, "...Damn it... I guess you do have a point." She manages to say through grit teeth, "I'll have a talk with her when she's back, she can't keep running off like this... But even so!" Frieza jerks back in surprise as a finger juts into his face. He resisted the urge to snap his teeth over it and bite it off. Not because it was barbaric, though it was, or because it was metal, but because he...
He didn't... want to hurt her, "You caused this! So..." Calming down just a bit more, the woman's finger retreats and her eyes turn from wrathful to grieving, "Please? She's going through a lot with you leaving and-"
But his hand raised, "I already told Bendez I'd speak with her. I'll go grab the brat and bring her back."
Hoda smiles.
Then, she lunges towards him. His eyes widen and he darts away from her, narrowly avoiding her grip as he shouts, "What the hell are you doing?!" He demands, pressing his whole body against the cave wall. Hoda stumbles forward, spilling long blonde hair over her face before she turns around and faces him with an angered yet confused expression.
"I'm trying to hug you."
"Well there was your first mistake! How many times must I say that I don't like being tou-"
Two metal limbs wrap around his body as he reprimands her. He gives her a bemused glare, though he doesn't try to remove her immediately. "I hate you."
But instead of the playful and infuriating response he was expecting... The woman speaks softly, she holds him tighter than she ever has before as she does. But it is not the tightness of the hug which stuns him. It is not the way she defied his requests, nor even just her words. Words he has heard many times before from groveling servants who had been allowed another chance to live. Words he has heard from fools at galas attempting to get into his good graces. No, it is not her words.
"Thank you."
It is how genuine the appreciation in her voice is that stuns him.
East
Frieza was never good with cardinal directions like that, he couldn't usually tell you which way he was facing. It simply wasn't something that normally mattered to his day-to-day operations. Neither here nor in space. Generally, he didn't have to know the direction he was going in, he had a guide or tracks to follow or barring both of those, a general idea of where he was heading. This case was special, however, he'd learned to gauge where Yota might be going. He knew that the sun set in the east and rose in the west, and the girl tended to move away from the sun when she left, and she always ran off when the sun was setting... But in this case, she had left while the sun was rising, it was still high. But that wouldn't matter. East and South were the only two locations that no one went in- there simply wasn't anything there to bother with for most people. And Yota? She hadn't finished exploring everything east of her home yet.
He knew exactly the direction to start looking for the girl as soon as he'd left and now, soaring miles above the sandy-brown ground below, Frieza spotted her- a single dark shape amidst a sea of gold, glinting an off-red color in the sun, "Found you..." He grinned, then lifted an eyebrow, noticing something, "How strange, you've hardly made it more than a mile in all the time you've been missing..." He considered for a moment, wondering if the shape was Merce. It wasn't impossible that the man had been sent outside before Frieza had found Hoda, but he shrugged. If it was Merce, he could stop to gloat at him, if it wasn't, then he had found what he was looking for...
The Arcosian's aura sparked up as he rocketed off towards the ground, slowing to the girl's side for a moment and only coming to a stop just a bit above the dust in front of her after catching a glimpse of her face. It was indeed the child he was sent to collect.
"Alright girl," The Arcosian began, a hint of boredom to his tone. This wasn't the first time they'd done this, though it would hopefully be the last, "You know the routine by now, come with me," Extending his hand out to her, Frieza waits for her to take it, yawning as he does, but her hand never comes. Opening his eyes as the yawn passes, he retracts his hand as he finds the girl looking down at her feet, arms pulled over each other. For a moment he lifts an eyebrow- 'Defiance?' He thinks- but then, she speaks.
"I..." She chokes, swallowing heavily before managing to speak again, "Do we have to go back already?" Her voice is barely above a whisper, "Just a few more minutes out here..." Noticing Frieza's irritated expression, the girl's brows furrow, and the man retracts, noticing the edges of tears within her golden irises as she looks up at him, "Please?"
Another whimper from the girl and the man goes silent for a long time, pondering her request. Eventually, he sighs, pulling his hood over his head to keep the sun away from him, at least for a bit, "...Fine, just a few minutes..."
He sets down in the sand, crossing his arms and looking away from the girl as she quietly rubs the tears out of her eyes. They stay like that for a few seconds, and then the silence breaks.
"You're leaving today, aren't you?" She doesn't meet his gaze as she speaks.
"Yes." His voice is soft and his gaze gentle. Yota had never acted this way before, not once in the whole time he'd known her. She wasn't a reserved child by any means, but he'd never seen her... Sad, "Yota, you musn't..." He trails off, not sure how to... Approach this situation. He's never comforted anyone before. And worse, he doesn't have many memories of being comforted to draw on.
He stood there, frozen in place, his fingers flexing nervously. Consoling people was far enough out of his comfort zone, but consoling a child? It was like asking an ant to topple a monarchy. He swallowed, desperately searching his mind for a solution, for what he was meant to say. Eventually, he fell onto an answer, "Yota... I don't know how to make you feel better." He admitted, only to wince when she whimpered out again. The girl was choking back her sobs, and he could tell it. "But... Even though I am leaving, you must know that I do care. Despite myself, I believe I will miss you as well as you will miss me..."
"Last year..." Her voice breaks in half as she loses the battle with her emotions, bowing her head to try to hide the tears flowing freely down her cheeks, "I... I lost my dad last year, right before you came." She said, "When you showed up... You gave me something to do so I didn't have to think about him-" She swallowed hard before continuing, "-but now, now I'm losing you too. Now I'll be all..." Her arms tightened around herself, like a baby seeking shelter from a storm, "Alone."
He set his hand on her shoulder, "I... I too have lost a parent. I knew my mother for quite some time before she was gone, much as you knew your father..." He grimaced at himself, somehow knowing that he wasn't being nearly as helpful as one might hope, "But you are still here. I know of your father's exploits. He gave his life for you, Yota. And as much as you will us both dearly, your father would prefer it if you held your chin high and faced the world. And..." He sighed, taking her hand into his own and softly smiling, sadly. "I am still here. One day, perhaps, I will return for you. And I'll see you travel the stars." He stood, pulling the girl with him, "For now, come. Your mother is waiting on us."
Frieza stared forward silently, taking one final look over the now barren room. Aside from the small alcoves he'd dug in to make space for what few belongings he had here, the room had been entirely cleared out, as though no one had ever even inhabited it. He stared for a long time, quietly reflecting. This place hadn't had too many adventures attached to it, nor was it somewhere he held any particular love for, but as he looks, he sighs. Memories of laying his head down for bed in the corner pass through his eyes, memories of times when Yota or Bendez or Ford had stepped into the room followed. He remembered their voices, and it was almost like they were really there for a moment before he closed his eyes and the moment passed. He wouldn't miss living here, but there was something to this place. Something about living somewhere he'd built by hand, a room he'd carved out for himself. Something primal, or perhaps something more, he couldn't tell. He wouldn't miss living here, but he would miss the memories.
He wouldn't miss it, but he'd remember it.
Still, there were better and bigger places ahead, and that...
That was what he was excited for.
Picking up the set of desert clothes that he'd deigned to take with him as a keepsake for this little journey- if the robot arms weren't enough- the Arcosian turned around while using his telekinesis to shut the door behind him, sealing the room up for whatever poor sap ended up moving in after he was gone. At that thought, he stopped and glanced back, a twinge of anger in his chest for only a moment. It was his space, he would be losing it... But such was life, he no longer needed it. Who knows? Maybe they'll never get the door open and the room would be lost to time. Left as a monument to remind the universe that he had been here. Shaking his head, he turned away from the door and continued through the halls of the Plateau, silently making his way towards the exit. By now, the ship had arrived and now it was time to make his leave. He'd not spend another second longer than he had to on this planet... Though perhaps, he might opt to say his goodbyes just this once. It wasn't like he intended to see any of these fools ever again, it only felt right that he should...
He paused in the hallway, flexing his fingers nervously and furrowing his brow. He knew he shouldn't, he knew it was foolish and yet... He felt a pang in his chest at the notion of not seeing them again. It was miniscule of course, yet... He felt as though he might... Miss them. He'd hardly gotten along with the fools, but there was something novel about that. People he had to let live while still disagreeing with were in short supply in his Empire after all, few were willing to even consider speaking to him the way they did...
No... No it wasn't that he'd miss. It wasn't the idea of having to put up with Hoda's anger issues or Bendez's sass or Ford's dry wit or Merce in general... It was something different. Something he didn't recognize. Even though he hated tolerating the fools, even though they hadn't been like his usual subordinates he... He felt as though he'd miss them. He'd miss having them around.
Well, aside from Merce. Really he could do without him but... The others...
He glared forward, teeth starting to grit. He was losing control of himself! These feelings were worthless, he'd simply grown accustomed to their presence, that was all! As soon as he was far away from them these thoughts would fade with time. Who knows, maybe he'll even come back in a few years to destroy them all for even making him feel this way... But even as he thought that, his eyes softened. No, he wouldn't destroy them.
Just the thought hurt him, and what hurt more was...
He didn't understand why.
The Arcosian continued ahead, though frowned a bit as he walked. Something was wrong, the whole place felt... Strange, like it wasn't like it usually was. The lights were on, the distant sound of water rushing through pipes was present, but... Wait, the pipes... He could hear them.
That was the problem. Frieza had walked these halls for almost a year, and though the pipes had only been in service for a few months, he'd only ever heard them this clearly when he was alone in his room. Being alone hardly ever happened here, even when the place was half empty- the men all out doing their work- there was almost always some commotion going on, something that would blot out the noise of the pipes...
So that left just one question.
Where was everyone?
He didn't have to wonder for very long.
Vibrant crimson light shone down at him as the Arcosian stepped out of the tunnel, but the glare only sat in his eyes for a moment before it was blotted out by the shadow-colored structure laid out before him. As massive as it had been when he'd first seen it all those months ago, the ship easily shaded the entire area in front of the plateau, providing protection from the sun not just for Frieza...
But for the group in front of him.
It wasn't all of them, but there had to be fifty or so people who stood there, all waiting for him. At the front, he spotted Hoda, Yota, Bendez and Ford, with Merce standing a bit away, all of them aside from the last had this look on their face, one that Frieza didn't like. It was too... sweet. He feigned a glare at them, frowning even deeper when Hoda stepped forward, digging his gaze directly into her. "Please don't tell me you set up some kind of "going away party", I think I might kill you if you did." He continues to look unamused, but the woman doesn't halt, instead only stopping when she's close enough. The others all trail behind. Bendez, then Ford, then Yota, and finally Merce as well as everyone else. A twinge of pain pulled at the Arcosian's chest as he watched them all, but he brushed it aside, trying to ignore them.
But they would not be so ignored. Even as the crowd parted, bowing as they did, giving the man his due respect, he saw their faces. He saw such... Love.
And it hurt his chest. He craved more.
And he didn't know why.
Thunk.
His eyes opened, the heavy footfalls had ceased directly in front of him, just as they had with the cell behind him, and the cell behind that and the cell behind that. His captor had arrived, it was his turn to be fed. He breathed a sigh and both of his hands clenched tightly as the automatic door opened, in stepping a humanoid figure in greyish-green armor and gaudy pink leggings. A pair of muscular legs came to a stop not far from the alien's face, and his eyes trailed up his captor's form to glare directly into a pair of black eyes. In many respects, the man before him could be mistaken for a Saiyan. But a Saiyan he was not.
A tray of food clattered to the ground in between them, spilling its contents out onto the floor as it did. "You've seen better days, Garkos." His voice was snakelike, even his chuckle was barely louder than a snake's hiss. "Oh well, your days are coming to a close soon enough, guess it works out that it ends on a low note." He walks behind Gar and undoes the collar keeping his neck restrained to the wall, causing the man to lurch forward, but he manages to catch himself, gritting his teeth as he does so, keeping from planting his face into the mush that had been brought. This man enjoyed watching the prisoners suffer. At least, he enjoyed watching Garkos suffer. It had been a humiliating few weeks.
Garkos grit his teeth tightly. He could feel the energy flowing back down to his fingers, but not fast enough. He needed time, needed to keep the man here and talking. Once the man left, he wouldn't get another chance until they were closer to the Crusher Capital. "A low note? I guess you're right, Daiz. It doesn't get much lower than being taken out by the likes of you." Daiz stopped and Gar repressed a smirk. This man had been hotheaded from the moment he'd met him, a lowlife of the worst variety. It wouldn't take much to keep him distracted long enough... "After all, what kind of scum are you, joining with the man who wiped out your entire Empire? I knew the Pukinpa Warriors before they fell. They would be ashamed that this was their legacy."
Daiz bared his teeth down at the lizardlike alien and Gar's whole world exploded into a sea of white as the man snapped a kick against his temple. "Shut up!" He demanded, but the other man simply grinned up at him, spitting a wad of blood onto the floor as he did. His eye bled from the strike, and the pain was like someone had shoved a spike through the socket, but the Zaltian held strong. A few more seconds. "They were WEAK!" He snapped again, lunging and grabbing Gar by the hem of his grey prisoner's uniform. "Warriors? Feh, they could hardly be called it. I was their most powerful member! And that is all that matters in this world."
Energy coalesced between Garkos' palms, a few more seconds...
Another strike, this one against his jaw. "Do you hear me, rebel?" Daiz snarled as Gar focused his gaze back onto the other man, silently putting his hands together as red blood dripped down his lip. "Power is all that matters. And right now, I have the power." Then, a grin. "And the Cold Family has the power, and you have nothing. Your Rebellion is dead. You stood against raw power while having none of your own, but us? Once we sell you off and get a few more planets from Emperor Cooler, we'll be the ones with the power. And I'll be sure to tell everyone about your failed little rebellion, just to remind them of their place. You will go down in history as the failed try by the weak to overcome the strong!"
He leaned in, grinning madly down at the Zaltian, but Gar glared back.
A spark.
And the man's grin dropped as his mouth fell open, a muffled gasp tearing its way out of his throat as he began to slump forward, only being caught on Gar's shoulder. A wet red hole had scorched through his chest, tearing through his armor like it was sandpaper on both sides. "You're almost right, Daiz." Garkos said quietly, retracting the lance of energy back into his palms before grunting and tearing through his binds. "They did have the power. And you? You have the power to stop them." He stood, throwing the dying man's body off of him as he did, reaching up and tearing out the Restraining Bolt embedded in his chest, feeling his power level skyrocket, giving him the strength to easily rip through his foot restraints. "We all do."
Garkos extended his hand towards the automatic blast door. Crackling golden energy formed in his clenched palm and with a shout, it blasted straight through his cell wall! The door flung off its hinges, crumpling like it had been made out of aluminum and coming to a grinding halt on the other side of the cell block. Garkos stepped out and two guards stepped forward. Former members of Lord Slug's army, the men raised blasters, but their hands were unsteady. They'd heard the stories by now. Captain of the Rebellion's toughest squadron, a man strong enough to take out the entire Ginyu Force, and now the sole remaining General of the Rebellion.
A Rebellion they had a hand in snuffing out.
Garkos' eyes narrowed.
Then vanished.
Appearing to one man's side, Garkos swiped his hand in a downward chop, cleaving him in half and vanishing again just as the man's friend fired at him, causing the shot to vaporize the first man's upper half while the rest fell to the floor. A clunk hit the ground behind the helmeted man, and the man had barely enough time to scream as two dark hands came over his mouth and forehead. Crunch.
The man's body hit the ground with a thud and Gar surveyed the area for more, only sighing when he was sure he was safe. He reached down and pulled off the man's helmet before digging inside and tearing out a small piece of technology and colored glass. A Scouter, older model but still serviceable. He strapped the thing to the side of his head and tapped it, activating the communicator in one-way mode. Instantly, chatter came through.
"We got shots fired in the holding cells. How should we proceed?" A deep voice reverberated through the Scouter's speaker, causing the Zaltian to curse to himself. 'You caught on that quickly?' He sighed, so much for taking them completely by surprise. It didn't matter, he just had to hope that-
Thick with an accent, deep voiced and confident, a much more familiar man spoke up. "Search the place, report back before engaging. We don't want to damage anything that might be precious." Even here, his voice was thick with sadism. Garkos could even imagine the sick grin on the man's face just from his voice.
"He's here?!" Gar hissed through his teeth, quickly tapping the Scouter's other function- its scanner mode. His head swiveled back and forth, stopping only when he spotted a power level higher than the others. Two Hundred Thousand. Fifty thousand units more than him. Just as he had feared.
Turles' second in command, Amond.
Gar took a breath. It was fine, all he had to do was leave. The Escape pod would have a long-range communication device, he could get a signal out to Chozo, then he and the others could come retrieve him. All he had to do was evade the Crusher Corps for a few days on a barren desert planet. Easy enough, he just had to make sure to pull out the tracking device in the pod and bury it deep enough in the sand to...
A cough grabbed his attention.
Immediately, his head snapped towards the direction that it had come from and spotted the source- a series of tiny forms sitting behind the bars of a containment cell. Unlike his own cell, it wasn't maximum security, the only thing separating him from them was a set of energy lances extending from the ceiling to the ground. He took a step forward, then froze stock still when he saw them, "Cohbrins!? You mean..."
The elder, a man named Ledgir, stepped forward with a small nod, "Indeed, my friend. We tried to flee, but they captured as many of us as they could hold." The man was tall, like most of his species, with darker teal skin and a snakelike oval-shaped crown set behind his head, giving him the appearance of a royal.
Garkos quickly crossed the distance between himself and the cell, eyes furrowing tightly. It was his fault that they had been captured. The Rebellion had chose to hide out on their world, and they had paid the price for it, "I'm sorry Elder. If I had known that the Cold Empire would find us, I never would have brought my men into your home."
"Do not admonish yourself, Garkos." The old man shook his head, closing his eyes sadly as he did, "You could not have known that the Crusher Corps had taken up your bounty..." He looks over, and Gar follows his gaze to the end of the room, where heavy footsteps can be heard. "But you must go, now! You have the chance to escape and continue your fight. The Rebellion needs you, it must survive. Your fight must survive."
Gar glared towards the door, his look hardening even more at the old man's words. He knew Ledgir was right. He knew he was right. The Rebellion was on its last legs even before he was captured. Without him, whoever was left stood no chance against the Cold Empire. Now that they'd been so devastated after their last battle, even their backup plans would fail without him.
But at the same time... "No." Power tore out of Gar's body as he stepped towards the entrance to the cell block, "I won't leave you, Elder." It had been him who had led the Rebellion to Cohbrin Six. It had been him who had bartered for his men to hide in Ledgir's swamp. It was him who had allowed them to be captured.
And he would not stand by as they suffered because of it, "I'll get you out, I promise."
"Are you certain, my friend?" The old man replied, looking with worry. "If you fall..." He didn't finish his sentence, but what was left unsaid hung in the air between them. Gar knew the stakes as well as Ledgir did, but he turned back, and gave him a reassuring smile.
"Do not worry for me, old friend. I have a plan." And as he turned his head back to the cell block, Garkos twisted a small device around in his fingers- his Restraining Bolt. He hadn't been sure that he'd need it when he left, but he held onto it just in case. Now... All he had to do was use it.
The first man stepped into the cell block but was immediately sent flying backwards, batting the man behind him as he went, the pair of them slamming into the nearby wall. Before Gar knew it, what must have been a dozen blasters raised and took aim at him. He was gone before the light from their lasers had even left the barrels, only to reappear behind the men. Some turned, the quicker ones, but most were too late to see their demise as Gar swiped his hand from left to right. Orange energy spilled from his palm, reducing them to ash.
He hit the ground and dashed to his left, rushing through narrow corridors of black painted walls and harsh red lights. These ships were all alike, he knew the general way to go, but he needed directions... And he knew just where to find them. He turned a corner and slammed his elbow into a man's chest, snapping bones like twigs as he barely stopped. In front of him, around six men- these ones all warriors based on their old model Frieza-Force armor- stood in his path before all lunging towards him at once. Garkos grit his teeth and pulled back, raising one arm to block a man's strike while swiping the other to throw off another man's right hook coming from his side.
His eyes focused on them, but his mind was distant. 'Once I arrive at the command deck, I'll need to face Amond... I have to get this onto his chest somehow but...' He trailed off mentally as he ducked under one of the men's swings and slammed his fist through his stomach, easily crunching through armor and flesh like they were made from paper. Without removing his arm, he swung around and used the man he'd impaled to block a blast of energy from one of the men near the back. 'I'll need to fight him as normal- like me, he won't risk destroying his ship so I can safely rule out most of his energy attacks. This gives me...' He tore his fist from what remained of the man's body while opening his palm. As soon as he did, crackling yellow light spread out and created an almost spearlike shape in his hand.
Without looking, he vanished from a surprise kick coming from his left and reappeared above the men with his hand extended above his head. He hardly grunted as he chucked the Energy Lance at the man who had shot him earlier. It moved faster than the man could process and easily cut through his chest, impaling him in the wall. Gar dashed forward and tore the lance out from his chest while whirling around and holding the thing with both hands, allowing him to block a double hammerfist from one of the more powerful men. 'A large advantage.' He nodded to himself, confusing the man above him. His teeth grit as he put all of his energy into trying to shatter Gar's weapon, and the Zaltian obliged him. The lance broke into two pieces, causing the man to fall forward in surprise, giving Gar enough time to stab the broken bits of lance into the man's shoulders.
He howled in pain but was quickly silenced as Gar kicked him away while tearing out his energy lances. His arms didn't come off, but he surely must have wished they had as he collapsed due to the pain. Three down. One of the few remaining turned to run while the other two stopped a few meters away from Gar and pulled both of their hands back in unison. Crackling red and purple light blotted out the room as the pair shouted. 'Once I distract him with the lance, I could get the Restraining Bolt onto him... No, the Energy Lance is too large. Perhaps I could try the Dagger variant? A good stab to his abdomen should do...'
Twin orbs of energy raced towards the alien, but Garkos hardly paid them any mind as he dashed forward, allowing the balls of light to explode against his body. He couldn't let them accidentally blow a hole in the ship while trying to kill him after all, and its not like these held any real danger to him anyway. He tore out of the smoke, and one man let out a terrified shriek-
"WHAT?!"
-And his voice died in his throat as the Energy Dagger plunged into it, killing him instantly. His friend wasn't far off, though he survived the attack as it landed in his shoulder. Gar stopped a bit away from the second man before kneeling down and taking hold of the Dagger still in him, dissipating the other with a thought as he did. "I will give you a chance to live, soldier. I'm a fair man, there's no need to kill you all. But you need to answer a question first." He leaned into the man, holding them both until they were eye-to-eye with one another.
"Where. Is the. Command Deck?" He growled.
The doors were made of solid Neo-Titanium like everything else on the ship. And like everything else, they were that same ink shade of black. They were solid things, a good six or so inches thick- supposedly made so that in the event of depressurization on any part of the ship, the Command Deck could seal itself off and allow the captain and anyone else inside to survive and call for assistance.
With a flick of the man's wrist they came down.
"Amond!" Garkos bellowed, striding into the Deck while raising his hands, "I trust you want to see me!" The room was empty, and for a moment Gar considered whether or not the man had been lying to him. But after a moment, a chuckle echoed through the place.
"A pretty stupid move to come all the way here, you know." Amond warned, "Sure, there might be escape pods, but you could have grabbed one of those a few rooms back." In the center of the room, a chair swiveled, revealing the light-orange-skinned alien. He was handsome, with a square jaw and bulky frame, built like a tank as well. One of, if not the most powerful, member of the Crusher Corps, "But that isn't like you, is it? You just couldn't let those poor weak villagers go? That's why I took 'em, you know? Sure, they'll make great slaves for Lord Turles. Not so much for the women but the men have their strength- but the real reason... Was to get you to come here if you ever managed to get out."
"I figured that. Your master put you in charge for a reason, Amond. It's only a shame that you use that intellect of yours to hurt." Garkos grit his teeth tightly as he replied, clenching his fists. He'd played right into Amond's hand... But that didn't matter. Ledgir was right, the Rebellion needed him, but his people needed him more right then. Amond had played him, but that didn't make this a foregone conclusion yet, "But we've done that song and dance before, haven't we?" Energy erupted around him as he spoke, raising his hands up to his side in a ready stance.
"I distinctly remember a conversation like that." Amond stood, reaching up with both hands and cracking his neck, his grin not wavering as he takes a step towards the other man, unleashing a vibrant orange aura as he did. Wind whipped from Amond's torso, testing the Zaltian's aura with his own. Garkos felt the push of the wind on his body for a moment, struggling to stay standing as if the power didn't affect him... But already he could feel it.
This would be an uphill battle.
Without another word, the pair exploded towards one another. Both men knew the stakes, they knew that using too much power ran the risk of destroying the ship beyond repair- of ending their lives in the vacuum of space.
Their fists shattered the world around them. An explosive flash of orange and blue tore through the room as the pair slammed into one another, completely obliterating Amond's captain's chair and sending a spiderweb of cracks splintering up the glass. Red alarms blared in the next instant as heavy blast doors quickly came down. They had barely moved an inch before the men appeared again- another flash of color, Garkos above Amond, both hands clasped above his head, his face contorted with effort as he brought them down on Amond's crossed forearms.
A crack split through the air as the orange skinned alien hit the ground, forcing the metal floor to bend inward with a heavy screech. The blast doors made it down another centimeter. Amond shot out of the indent and transformed into a blur of sandstone as he shot back towards Garkos. The Zaltian grit his teeth, kicking off with his aura and narrowly dashing away- but the other alien reached the apex of his ascent and turned on a dime before quickly shooting back down towards the man and snatching him by the neck. His arm pulled behind him by the added weight, Amond continued to shoot towards the ground and grunted loudly as he slammed Gar into the metal. A terrible crunching noise reverberated throughout the deck as metal twisted inward, and Amond's face lit up with mad glee as he forced his arm down, burying Gar deeper into the metal.
The General gagged as his throat constricted and Amond leaned in with a sadistic glee in his eyes, "I ain't supposed to kill ya, but I could take a whole lot of enjoyment out of beating the hell out of y- AH!" Before he could finish, Gar's opposite hand came up in the man's blind spot, an Energy Dagger was already being formed inside of his palm and was completed seconds before it was thrust into Amond's side, causing him to stumble back in pain, releasing Gar's throat and allowing the man to roll to his front, coughing for air.
"The difference in our strength..." Gar sputtered, pushing himself to his hands before managing to get into a crouching position, still needing a moment, "Isn't so vast that you can have that luxury, monster." He pushed himself to his feet-
And doubled over.
The blast doors had shut halfway by the time the shockwave had sent Garkos careening into the ceiling. The Zaltian was winded, and sucked in a deep breath as he reached the height of his ascent. Below him, Amond had tore the Energy Dagger out of his side and cast it away. Garkos hissed angrily- the damage done was superficial. Barely a flesh wound for the titan, "I guess you're right." Amond barely restrained a snarl. "So you win. I won't play with you, General." He doubled over himself, widening his stance and throwing his arms out to his side, "HAAA!" A roar escaped his throat and the Scouter on Garkos' eye exploded. He didn't need to read it. The man had lowered his power level in an effort to draw out their confrontation. Now however, it had been raised to full.
The shutters were nearly all the way down.
Ziip
The sound of air shifting hit Gar's ears, giving him just enough time to turn and throw his arm up in a hasty block before a gargantuan forearm came down and slammed into his raised arm. His bones shook from the force, and the Zaltian let out a shout of his own, forming gauntlets of energy around his arms. Amond's eyes widened just in time for the Energy Gauntlets to expand and then explode, forcing the alien away, buying the man time. He dashed downwards, not taking his eyes off of Amond as both of his hands shot out below him and his fingers clenched tightly, forming two Energy Lances in both hands. With one he reared back his hand and threw it as hard as he could muster. Garkos didn't watch to see what became of it, instead glancing down at his feet- A heavy clang informing him that he hit the ground as he did. His other hand came up and he snapped the Energy Lance into two Energy Daggers.
He spared a glance above him-
And was face-to-face with the Space Pirate.
Thunder exploded, tinging the room an explosive orange as an explosion touched down. Amond had transformed his body into a torpedo and had come down onto Garkos with explosive force, enough to transform what remained of the undented floor into a gargantuan room-sized crater, even pushing some of the walls outward. The man had started to become careless.
The blast doors touched down. Garkos rolled to one side, clenching the Energy Daggers as tightly as he could as he pulled his hands in, hiding them from Amond. The orange skinned alien released a dark chuckle. Unlike him, his opponent was still standing, only a few meters away, "Its really unfortunate that we can't go all out in here. I'm sure it'd be a much better fight that way." Footsteps came closer and Gar braced himself, shutting his eyes and calming his breathing. So long as the man thought he was down, there was a chance, "Eh, who knows. Maybe Lord Turles will do me the honor of having a chance to execute you myself. Emperor Cooler'll pay either way for your head. Whether its attached or not. Maybe we'll have ourselves a rematch. But for now-"
Air pressure changed, a foot being yanked back. Time slowed to nanoseconds, but at the speed of light, that may as well have been normal speed. Even so, Gar's eyes snapped open as Amond's leg came forward. Amond was a sadistic bastard, and that would be his undoing. Before the man realized it, his enemy had moved. The Zaltian screamed-the feral war cry of his people. The Energy Blade bit into the man's legging. Armored like the rest of him, the leggings held, but Garkos didn't let go. Grunting with exertion, he absorbed his other Dagger back into himself, boosting his power just enough-
Amond screamed, viscera running down his leg from where the Energy Dagger was jammed through.
The man stumbled- then fell- backwards, clutching onto his leg. Garkos managed to his feet, his other hand pulling out the Restraining Bolt from its place on his hip as he did. There was no time to waste, he staggered forward on unsteady legs of his own as Amond turned around to get onto his knees, but before he could, Garkos lunged forward and grabbed his shoulder, "You're... done for!" He twisted the man around with his other hand raised, eyes focused on the exact spot in his chest he'd plant the device- the same spot it had been forced into him all those weeks ago-
Crack
Copper exploded from his cheek for a moment before his mouth went dull, the pain quickly replaced by the sensation of his back slamming against something heavy and metal... And hollow. Amond sat on his knees a few yards away, his fist still extended. He set it down after a moment, his attention snapping towards the Energy Dagger still shoved into his ankle... And then it drifted a bit further back.
Gar followed his gaze, staring dumbly at the small piece of technology set a few feet away from Amond for a moment- only fully grasping what it was he was looking at after a moment, his eyes widening as he rushed to stand. Seeing him move, Amond fired a glare towards the other alien, then shot his hand forward unthinkingly. A bloodsoaked wave of Ki tore from his palm and slammed into Gar's chest with enough force to send him slamming into that hollow shape again, this time creating reverberations through it...
Amond didn't stand, but his hand changed targets. Before the Zaltian could act, his Restraining Bolt had been turned to dust.
Only then did Amond raise himself into the air, letting his bleeding leg hang like a deformed limb. Hatred cut across his face like rot against wood, and Gar glanced behind him, towards what he now knew was an escape pod. He paused for a moment, considering. If he left, he would certainly be consigning Legir's people to slavery, perhaps even for years as the Rebellion recovered their assets and grew strong enough to challenge the Crusher Corps...
But if he refused to leave, if he stood, fought and lost then... Legir's people would never know freedom. His face was racked with indecision as he spared glances between Amond and the pod for a moment, only stopping when the man's voice snatched his attention away, "Don't even think about it." Amond growled, starting to float forward, "I'll reach you before you ever even have a chance."
But Gar... Gar was a man of backup plans.
And so he nodded, "You would, wouldn't you?" He asked, giving the orange skinned man pause. Brutish as he was, Amond recognized Gar's tone of voice. A tone which warned, but didn't convey why. Gar wanted to smile, but he couldn't bring himself to, not now. Not with what he was about to do next.
His fist clenched.
And Amond screamed.
The pain must have been indescribable. Flesh and bone split at the joint, muscle and fabric tore in equal measure as the Energy Dagger forced its way through Amond's ankle, tearing its way out to answer the summons of its master. But Gar could not stay to revel in Amond's pain. Even if his entire foot was lost, the man would surely remain conscious, running so high on adrenaline like he was. And even with his injuries... Gar had used too much energy to continue himself. Instead, the General turned and faced the Escape Pod, tapping buttons to open the door and forcing himself inside.
The Dagger dissipated as Gar settled into the Pod's center chair, and Amond let out a roar that sounded almost like a "No" as Gar slammed the central console's big red button and shot out into space.
But what the man didn't know...
Was that his launch had not been as successful as he had thought. By now, the ship was well aware of an escaped prisoner- a high value one at that. Without bothering to contact their commander, two members of the Crusher Corps shot out of the ship in their own starfighters. They grinned in sync, seeing the Escape Pod racing towards the Desert Planet below. The two brothers, Lakasei and Rasin, had expected that Gar would escape. Whether or not he managed to defeat Amond was a separate story entirely- but his escape was almost assured. They had planned for it, they had even hoped for it. And now that Amond had failed, they could use this chance to get into their master's good graces, perhaps even a chance to assume Amond's position as second in command. Their master would value their cunning, he'd reward them for being so quick to act when Amond had failed him. Yes, they could see it...
Of course, they couldn't simply shoot the Escape Pod out of the atmosphere, but they wouldn't have to.
Mostly... Because it was about to collide... With a ship leaving the atmosphere...
Author's note: And we're done! I hope you all enjoyed, this chapter is much more action-packed than its predecessors and by a mile. From here on out, I expect that we'll be seeing a lot more action-oriented chapters as opposed to more slower paced ones, especially for this upcoming arc. As some of you may have surmised, I'm going to be covering Turles in this arc... But that poses a question- if this is after Frieza, how is the Crusher Corps still in operation? Well the funny thing about the Tree of Might movie is...
Its not canon and I can do what I want with it.
Speaking of that, let me quickly give you all power levels.
Amond- 200,000
Garkos- 150,000
Daiz- 100,000
As you can see, the Turles Gang are a lot more powerful than they were originally, why is that? Well that answer should be pretty obvious, but if its not we'll address it sometime in this next arc... Which brings me to an important announcement.
So, it may come as a surprise to learn that this past arc wasn't fully charted out before I started writing it. Usually this isn't an issue for me- a lot of the stuff I create isn't preplanned, I tend to write as I go- but in this case... I haven't been fully pleased with some of the quality of this story up until now. I know that a lot of you are pretty happy with what I've made up until now, I'm not saying that its bad... I'm just saying that I feel like I can do better if I take the time to plan out the story's events a bit more before I start writing it.
SO, my announcement for this is that I'm going to be taking a short break from writing Defrost. Not a long one! I'll probably be back sometime in early September of this year (2023 for anyone reading the far flung future), but I am going to take some time and work on fully charting the course of at least this next arc. The reason its going to take up to September is because it takes me a while to create Defrost Chapters, as you can see. So if I only take a month to note down the plot details-
Ah whatever that isn't important. What is important is that we're nowhere near done... But that this is the end of our very first full arc! Next time, we're concluding the Desert Storyline and moving on to bigger and better things! So for now, tell me what you think about this chapter, speculate on what's coming next and, of course, if you want something to tide you over while you wait, I will also be using this break period to work on Monitale and crank a few chapters of that out over the course of these few months.
So with that all said, there's only one thing left for me to say and that is...
Until Next Time, True Readers!