slowed down, dropping out of hyperspace. and as he did, they were near a massive space station, with many other ships around it. some were small like Jerren's, others were massive. Jerren called in, letting HQ know he was back and asking where he could land. once he had been given his gate number, he flew around the station till he had found it, than going in, landing. Jerren looked at android 18, 'okay, now, get up, cooperate and don't try to put up a fight.' she sighed, showed her hands as if she offered for him to cuff her, 'or what, you'll blast me with that toy gun again? I surrendered already, not like any of you can do anything to me.' Jerren smirked, 'you can think that if it makes you feel safe.' Jerren guided her out of his ship, when two large patrollers walked toward them, both wearing heavy armored suits, as well as a massive set of handcuffs. while this happened, Jerren noticed that every large gun had been gathered in this hanger and was being aimed at android 18. she put her arms forward and the two patrollers put the cuffs over her entire arms, before locking them in place, making her walk with a large block in front of her, as the two security officers guided her away. they informed her that she was to stand trial in front of the king of universe 7. this was somewhat new information to her. that would imply there were other universes out there. and this universe was ruled over by a king? she was taken away to a holding cell, to await her trial, while all the necessary people gathered. Jerren went to deliver all the evidence he had gathered. he had already send a copy of most of it, but best to have two of each. the original plan he had was for other forces of the Galactic Patrol to com and get all the equipment from Gero's lab, but with Cell blowing it up, that plan had been properly stopped. Merus congratulated him on a job well done, while their scientists would try to work out from the pictures and videos how Gero had done it. with all the files send, they might be able to enhance all members of the Galactic patrol. a day later, android 18's trial was to be held in the great royal hall. she was brought in, her arms still in the heavy cuffs, with four large armored guards around her, walking her to the stand. all the patrollers in the room, including Jerren, all stood up and saluted when the Galactic king came in. android 18 was not sure what she was expecting. someone or something regal, fancy clothes, a shining crown. well, the being who had appeared and now sat down on the throne did wear a crown. but that's all it wore. it looked like a human sized squishy light green octopus with many tentacles, along with a somewhat humanoid face right above the tentacles. the king calmly looked at the accused, 'you are Lazuli, are you not? also known as android 18?' she nodded, 'I am.' the king nodded and unfurled a scroll, looking down it, 'I have a list here with all the crimes you stand accused of. there have been witnesses who have confirmed these; manslaughter. mass destruction of property. terrorism. torture. and all of these were committed again and again over the course of many years. how do you plead?' she sighed, 'guilty.' the king looked her over, calmly, 'at least you admit it. since your rampage was contained to a single planet and you don't try to act innocent, I'm sentencing you to life in prison. do you have any last words? know that these can change the verdict for the worse!' android 18 looked up, looked around and found Jerren in the crowd of officers, before looking back at the king, 'I wanted to say how sorry I am. my eyes have only recently been opened to the horror I caused. I am sorry for committing murder, for destroying people's homes, their sense of safety. I regret killing the people who tried to fight us, those who were trying to defend the people of earth. I am sorry. I deserve this.' the king nodded to the guards, 'take her away.' she was escorted out of the hall, than to another hanger than the one her and Jerren had landed in, where she was put on another ship. her feet were locked down and she was strapped to her seat. she looked around and some some alien looking creatures who also wore handcuffs, had their feet locked down and were strapped in, but none as heavily as she was. once the last convicted felon was on board and strapped in, the ship left. a long boring flight later, she looked outside and saw another large space station. but one of their guards introduced them to their new home; the galactic prison. armed guards came in in groups of two, each picking up one of the inmates and escorting them out of the ship. eventually she found herself alone, before four guards came to escort her out. she was brought to a room where she was handed over to female guards. the male guards left, but the women were armed and they warned her that one shot would draw in all the other guards here. Lazuli had her shackles removed and was told to change into the orange prisoner uniform. it was not fancy, nor her style, but she did deserve to be locked up. even if she could easily fight her way out of this. having finished changing, she was brought to a striped wall, was given a board with what she assumed was her name and her prisoner number. she had her mug shot taken, before the cuffs were put on her arms again and the male guards came in again, escorting her further into the prison, finally coming to an empty cell. she was brought inside, had her handcuffs removed again, before the guards exited and the door was closed. a camera was watching her and she wouldn't be surprised if she could be shot down by it as well. she lay down on the bed. on her way here she had seen other cells. some were large and held many prisoners. hers was small. a one room apartment. there was a toilet, though she didn't need it, being an android and all. and so she lay there, doing nothing, until food was delivered. she looked at it with a frown. the rations were small, probably enough for a woman of her size and build,... but they looked like nothing she wanted to eat. however, having nothing better to do, she started eating. though her mouth confirmed what her eyes had spotted; this hardly counted as food at all. a week passed by like this. she would sleep, take small short walks through her cell, thinking about the past. she would get her rations three times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. each the same disgusting slob. but, better than doing nothing, or so she had thought. sleeping sometimes seemed the better option. than again, with nightmares of Cell chasing after her and sucking her up in his tail, it had woke her up, screaming. if Cell was gonna come, he would have to search for her. but with how vast the universe was, it would take him much longer than four days to find her. also did she remember the faces of people. the ones she had fought,... or simply batted away. they had been trying to fight for something. she and her brother had just been trying to have fun. they had been the monsters until an even worse monster had showed up. even though it was too late now and probably a cold comfort to what she had done, she apologized to the memory of everyone she could remember. even though doing this seemed to calm her down, it did not stop the nightmares. but, having been hunted, knowing what it felt like, knowing what she had done to so many people, she knew; she deserved this. after a week, she got a surprise; a visitor. standing on the other side of her see through door was that Galactic patrol officer. she gave him the same salute she had seen him and the other members of the patrol do when the king had showed up, 'yo. long time no see. what brings you here? has my sentence been changed to execution?' Jerren shook his head, 'no. not yet. but I thought I should let you know; Cell won't be coming. from what our scanners witnessed and analysed, he was destroyed by a super saiyan.' she blinked in confusion, before a sense of relief washed over her; that monster would not be coming to get her. she sighed, 'thanks for telling me that. anything else I can do for you?' Jerren shrugged, 'not really. how's your stay?' she shrugged back with the smallest of smirks, 'oh, not bad. I am here, alone, wearing this ugly thing, getting three bland meals of slob a day, otherwise I am left alone, I just lay here and bore myself to sleep. so, I'm doing fine officer. I'm bored out of my mind, unfashionable, eating bland meals, but other than that, I'm completely fine.'

Android 18 looked at Jerren, before suddenly blurting out, 'thank you.' Jerren raised his eyebrows at that, 'for what?' she shrugged and sat down on her bed, 'for saving me from Cell. for bringing me here. for giving me a better perspective. it is in retrospect, but still. thank you. Cell would have sucked me up in his tail if you hadn't blasted it off and pulled me out. thank you, for saving me. I know I didn't deserve it.' Jerren nodded, 'well, you're welcome. I wish I could have done more.' she shrugged, 'you've done enough. more than enough. saving me from being absorbed also saved the world, hell, maybe even the whole universe from Cell. if he, like,... what did you say he had in his DNA? a cold freezer? which allowed him to breath in space?' Jerren nodded, 'King Cold and his son Frieza. and well, not so much breathe in space, as survive in a vacuum.' she nodded, 'yeah those. and that. with whatever that super saiyan you said coming and defeating Cell, it's good that it didn't absorb me, or who knows what would have happened. maybe Cell would have headed into space to repeat his actions. so, in saving me, you may have saved the universe.' Jerren shrugged, 'maybe. hard to know what that monster would have done after absorbing you. but I doubt it would have been good. with that said, from what I heard, so far you've been acting good. none of the guards have noticed any attempt to break out.' 18 lay down on her bed, 'why would I do that? because I wear this hideous orange suit? because they only feed me slob? because I have no one to talk to? because I have no way to exercise in here? I think blasting this cell to bits would be a waste of time. I don't know how to fly one of your space cars anyway. where would I even go?' Jerren gave a small smile, 'well, even if you tried, it wouldn't work. why do you think so many dangerous criminals remain contained in here? try building up a blast.' Lazuli raised her eyebrow, than her right hand, bringing out her energy, forming it into a ball. or at least; that's what she tried. the moment her energy came out, it was absorbed into the walls just as fast. Jerren nodded, 'even if you tried blasting your way out, your energy would be absorbed before it could do any damage. plus, hard sturdy metal, even you would have trouble punching your way out of this place.' android 18 nodded and dropped her arm, 'well, I wasn't planning on busting out, like I said. I just wish, I could do something to apologise for my actions on Earth. I mean, I apologize in my head all the time, but that's not the same, and it doesn't do any good.' Jerren nodded, 'well, not for your victims, but at least you've seen the truth of your own actions. trying to change, feeling sorry not for yourself but for your victims, is a good first step. if it helps, I can try and find files of the people you killed and bring them here. show you their names and faces. that way, you can apologize more honestly.' 18 nodded, showing a small honest smile, 'that would be nice. thanks. maybe it would stop the nightmares.' Jerren frowned, 'until now, did you still fear Cell would find you?' she nodded, 'yeah. that horrible monster would burst into my cell, pull me from my bed, pin me to the wall, than suck me up in his tail. but, he's not the only one in my nightmares.' Jerren sighed, 'if you want to talk about it, I am willing to listen.' she smiled, 'thanks. I mean, it's what I deserve after what I have done. killing so many people for,... fun,... just because my brother and I could. in my nightmares,... sometimes a large mob of people is attacking me and I am no longer an android, just a harmless eighteen year old girl. they beat me up, trample me, set me on fire, tear me apart and toss what's left of me aside, like garbage. in other nightmares, I again am powerless, but this time still an android. a mob of people is coming for me, grabbing me and dragging me to someone they call their savior. sometimes my brother is being dragged alongside me. the first time I had that nightmare, I thought, maybe they'll drag me to one of the warriors who tried to fight me, to protect the people. but no, they dragged me to cell.' she shuddered a moment, before continuing, 'in the dreams where my brother is with me, they throw him to the bug first and he's sucked up. he transforms into the monster you saw as well. and than I am thrown at him. I hope, those cell nightmares will end, now that he's dead.' Jerren nodded, 'that's a possibility. well, I'll try to see if I can find such files. though I can't promise to bring you a file on each and every person. since it was millions. and, how many years did you spend killing again? for fun?!' she painfully swallowed, '19 years. thank you, officer. for trying. thank you, for helping me.' he nodded, 'you're welcome. I'll see what I can do.' Jerren tried to hold true to his word, bringing her pictures of the Z warriors, minus Goku; who had died from his heart virus. Vegeta, Piccolo, Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, Gohan. and, as he handed her their pictures, files and names, she would speak of her memory of them, before apologizing. Jerren kept an eye on her as she did, looking for clues, hints, any indicator that might reveal this was an act. but she seemed genuine. this was one week after his first visit. she looked just as bored as the first time, but also happy to see him. after her apologies, they would talk. about her nightmares, about how Earth was doing without her and Cell on it. about Jerren's job. each week Jerren would come back, bringing new files him and Jacco had found. sometimes it were vague pictures and they didn't always had a name. but 18 accepted them, thankfully, being able to apologise to some part of the person. 18 started to slowly become more open, genuinely friendly. she could still show a bit of snark now and than, but her previous hostility had vanished. it seemed that each and every apology stripped away the part of her that was a killer robot and brought back her humanity. her nightmares were slowly becoming shorter. they were slowly becoming less scary. and bit by bit, they were becoming normal dreams. still, beside that, she remained bored. though, seeing her behavior was improving, aside from the files he brought, Jerren would also bring her something else now and than. this was after two months of his weekly visits. he would bring her an Earthly magazine, or comic book. something for her to read, as well as some real food and not the prison slob. she couldn't keep the magazines, having to return them to Jerren when he left, but she appreciated his actions. she was no longer behaving like a monster. nor did she see herself as a victim. she knew she had committed criminal acts and she was now paying for it. but she was looking forward more and more to Jerren's visits. first just to have someone to talk to. having someone to listen to and someone who listened and responded to her. something so simple, yet it felt so important; because it was. when she had lost her brother, she had realized how truly alone she was on that world. and in this cell, once more. but than Jerren also gave her what she wanted, a way to apologise, followed by something to dull the sting of boredom. being able to read something was nice. and when he brought her some real food, or a snack, even though it was just once every seven days, it did her good to eat something normal. having gone two months without actual food, she had almost cried when she ate real food again, especially because it was delicious. the simple things in life, things that are normally taken for granted, turned out to be so important. Jerren visited her again, having given her the final files they could find. and after android 18 apologized to them, having now apologized to over a hundred people, Jerren handed her an earth meal. fries, a hamburger and a strawberry milkshake. she profusely thanked him for this meal and as she sat down and started eating, she looked at him, 'so officer, how's your job going nowadays?' Jerren shrugged, 'not much trouble. we actually managed to make good use out of Gero's laboratory. making new limbs for officers who had lost them, using the data on you, your brother and Cell. lives are being saved.' she munched on her fries and swallowed them with a sip of her milkshake, before smiling and nodding, 'that's good to hear officer. I just hope, you don't just keep it for your own organization, but also give it to other people who need it. victims.' Jerren nodded, 'that's the plan. but the officers are the first to receive them, to test them, see if they're safe to use. oh and, you can call me Jerren. no need for formalities.'

Jerren was making his way to Merus his office, as the leader of the Galactic patrol was busy with a mountain of paperwork. Merus looked up a moment as Jerren entered, 'officer Jerren. what can I do for you?' while speaking, he kept his eyes focused on his paperwork, continuing to work. Jerren cleared his throat, 'well sir, I was wondering, if android 18's sentence could be lightened.' Merus his hand stopped writing for a moment, before continuing, 'no.' Jerren was a bit surprised by the short answer, 'but sir. she has changed a lot from when she came in. I sense no treason, trickery or falsehoods in her actions or words.' Merus kept on writing, 'so, just because she spends three months in jail, feeling sorry for herself and finally shows remorse for her actions, is supposed to wipe away the nineteen years of murdering and destruction she and her brother caused? and her sentence should be lightened because of it? my answer; no. and!' he added as Jerren wanted to speak up. he continued, 'she was sentenced by the king of universe 7. I haven't the authority to lighten her sentence.' Jerren frowned, 'I know she did horrible things. but, I think, she has learned her lesson. she asked for information on the people she killed. she wanted to apologise to them, or at least the memory of them. I am not asking for her sentence to be removed completely, but to be changed. community service could make her prove herself. or, she could help the Galactic Patrol in some way.' Merus sighed as he stopped writing, 'I already said, I can't over rule the king's sentence.' Jerren nodded, 'I know, but, if you were to ask the king, than maybe he could,...' Merus suddenly opened a desk in his drawer and pulled out a file. he looked it over, before side eyeing Jerren, 'does this have anything to do with her?' before Jerren could ask, Merus slide the file across his desk to his working officer, who put a finger on it to stop its slide, before picking it up. his eyes grew slightly in shock, seeing it was a file of a former officer of the galactic patrol, as well as his former partner. Merus frowned, 'do you have a thing for machines Jerren? your former partner was an android too. 21, am I right?' Jerren cleared his throat, '21 was my former partner, yes. but that does not mean I have a thing for androids, sir.' Merus continued his paperwork, 'you want android 18, Lazuli, to be somewhat forgiven, have her sentence lightened, have her work for the Galactic patrol, after she spend 19 years killing people, just for fun. three months of redemption and you wish to forgive her? as I remember, android 21, Vomi, had problems of her own. I hope you haven't forgotten the world of trouble we were in after that particular debacle she caused with her "eating disorder", or have you?' flashed of android 21 rushed through Jerren's mind, along with the trouble she caused. he shook his head, 'no, I haven't forgotten. sir.' Merus nodded, 'good. you say this model 18 has reformed, just because of the trauma Cell caused her. she hunted people for sport until she found out what it was like to be hunted herself. she apologised to her victims. and you wish to believe she has changed. if I were to talk to his majesty and if he were to lighten her sentence, as you asked, you realize; you'll be held responsible, correct?' Jerren saw some hope that android 18 could be reformed and nodded, 'yes sir.' Merus frowned, 'do you understand? do you really? if she acts out, if she kills again, if she tries to escape, not only will she go back in her cell, not only will her sentence be worsened, you would be held equally responsible for her killings. meaning, you'd be locked up, like her.' Jerren slightly gulped, before nodding, 'I understand that sir. but I don't think we need to worry about that. and, how much worse could it get for her anyway?' Merus pulled another file out of his desk, sliding it to Jerren. he saw the picture of an old goat man on it; Moro. his sentence; solitary confinement. confined to a chair, his body bound, wearing a helmet that kept him blind, deaf and unable to eat, locked behind several layers of walls. Merus nodded, 'that's as bad as they can make it for her, without outright killing her, which would be more of a mercy. again, Jerren, do you, fully, understand?' Jerren nodded, 'I do sir.' he handed back both the files of Moro and android 21, which Merus put back in his desk. he finished up his paperwork, before sighing, 'I can't promise that the king will lighten her sentence, but I will at least tell him everything you said about her, including the weekly reports you make about her. so, there is at least a chance.' this was good enough for Jerren. Merus kept his word and told the king of universe 7 about this. the king was not happy to change the sentence he had given to a hardened stone cold killer. but, if she had changed that much, he would like to see that for himself. so, he would give the android a trial period of a week. he contacted the Galactic prison, where he told the guards to let android 18 out of her cell and let her do tasks around the prison. delivering food, doing the laundry, scrubbing the floor and the walls, both outside as well as inside cells of others. meanwhile she would be constantly guarded. android 18 was rather surprised to one day be woken up and told to come out of her cell. her hands weren't cuffed, nor was she restrained, though the four guards around her, while not aiming at her, kept their guns active, ready to take aim. the warden brought her to a washing room. but apparently all the washing machines were broken. once every week a clean outfit was handed to the inmates and the inmates would hand over the outfit they were wearing so it could be washed. now, with all the machines busted, she had to wash all the outfits; by hand! she was not happy with a task like this, especially because some outfits were dirty and stank up the place. she was given a tub which she could fill with water as well as some cleaning product and an item she guessed was a sponge. and so she got to it, scrubbing, cleaning, washing, before hanging the outfit out to dry. again, and again, and again, and again, and again. by the time the day was over, she was finally done. she was returned to her cell, where she fell asleep. the next day she was awoken again; today she had to deliver food to the inmates; all of them. she went around with a cart, driving by all cells in each district of the prison, delivering plates of slob for every prisoner. by the time she had brought everyone their breakfast, it was time to bring everyone their lunch. and again, once everyone had gotten their lunch, it was time for her to bring everyone their dinner. and once she was done, she was returned to her cell. she did not like this treatment, had enjoyed being left alone. but, she did understand, if this was part of her punishment, she deserved it. meanwhile, both Merus and the king of universe 7 were keeping an eye on her. she had remained polite and obedient, never showing a sign of anger. signs of irritation and boredom, yes. but no sign of hostility, or any sign of an attack of any sort. so, maybe she had changed. maybe her programming was just messed up, or maybe her humanity was coming out. despite having the body of an 18 year old, she was 37 years old. she did have life experience. even though most of it was delinquent actions when young and mass murder on a grand scale for 19 years during her life as an android; was there truly some remorse and humanity in this monster? the next day, 18 was told to clean the cells of other inmates. today it was not all the cells that were meant to be cleaned, just the dirtiest. but of course, she was given the minimal tools for cleaning. the guards did not join her in the cell, waiting for her outside. and while she scrubbed away, the other inmates were checking her out. smirking, whistling and making lewd remarks about her. she ignored them. though when one tried to touch her, all she did was push him off of her and onto one of the beds. since she seemed to ignore them, the eight inmates gathered together and started whispering among themselves. the moment the doors opened to let out the cleaning bot, they would rush out, jump the guards and take their weapons. they would blast open as many cells, while making an attempt to escape. android 18 heard everything they said. they had not spoke a different language. she knew she could not use her energy to blast them, but she had her hands. once she finished cleaning and walked to the door, she was prepared. the moment a guard opened the door, she turned around and singlehandedly stopped the eight who tried to break out of prison.

android 18 looked at the group of 8 inmates that lay on the floor. it had only taken two seconds and two kicks to take all of them down. that had been way easier than she had expected. as she turned back around to the guards, she found all four of their guns aimed at her face, as the leader of the four demanded, 'why did you do that?!' all fingers were resting on the triggers and seemed rather itchy. she remained calm, 'as I was cleaning, I heard them whispering, saying they would attempt to break out the moment the door opened. why do you think they tried to rush the door?' the leader frowned, before raising one hand to his earpiece, 'command room, I would like you to look up a recent recording. cell 4681. after prisoner 6180 started cleaning, when they huddle together, according to the latter prisoner, the prisoners of cell 4681 were discussing a prison break. check if this is true please.' he lowered his hand and put it back on his gun, keeping it aimed at android 18, 'you better hope you're right. because if that was a lie, your punishment will only get worse!' android 18 smiled, 'in that case, I have nothing to worry about.' a few minutes passed by, before the leader's earpiece beeped and he listened to what was said. command room confirmed what android 18 had said; the prisoners had attempted to escape and had wanted to release as many prisoners as possible. the group leader nodded and lowered his weapon, 'okay, so you were telling the truth. and you tried to help,... in your own way. you're lucky they're not dead! I suppose I should say; thank you, prisoner. but don't think that eight weakened inmates could have taken down the four of us. we did not need your help! now, back to your cell!' the four guards brought her back to her cell, locked her up again and left. 18 at least was glad she didn't have to clean up more cells. for the past three days, each day both written and visual reports were send to both the galactic king and to Merus, to show android 18's progress. the four days that followed going back to giving her menial trials to show her improvement, they continued to keep an eye on her. giving some prisoners hair cuts, giving unable prisoners baths, unclogging and cleaning toilets and finally, a day of patrolling the hallways with the guards. with the trial week over and android 18 not having shown any hostility at all, the King approved of the request Merus had made on behalf of Jerren. the king could barely believe what he was doing as he signed her release form, still putting her under strict surveillance and putting Jerren in charge of her as she would be given community service. if she acted up and killed again, both of them would still be held responsible. he sighed, 'that she did all those mundane and irritating tasks wasn't much of a surprise. but that she stopped a jail break, when she could have easily helped them, that was a surprise.' Merus agreed with that, 'yes sire. perhaps what Jerren said was true after all. but, that still remains to be seen. we'll see if this android is putting on an act or not.' the king nodded, 'indeed. we don't want a repeat of that android 21 debacle.' the two solemnly nodded, remembering that disaster. android 18 was summoned to the galactic king's palace, where she was brought while her body was heavily restrained and she had eight guards around her, at least four of which kept their guns constantly aimed at her. she was rolled into the palace, through the fancy hallways, through many a shining door, until finally she was placed before a desk, behind which the galactic king was sitting. Merus was standing next to the desk, a staff in his hands and his eyes aimed at her. only her head was out of the container she had been put in. in it, her arms and legs had been bound by a straight jacket, belts and ropes and the walls of the container. the walls, like the walls of her cell, absorbed energy, so breaking out would be difficult, if she wanted to. the king cleared his throat, 'prisoner android 18, formerly known as Lazuli, you have been summoned to my office to discuss recent events, as well as your reward for good behaviour. over the last week, me and Galactic Patrol commander Merus have kept an eye on you. the tasks you were given were meant to show us if you had really changed, since galactic patrol officer Jerren had insisted that you had.' she was a bit surprised that Jerren's name had been dropped and that he had put so much faith in her. the king continued, 'what was not a task given by us, something you did on your own, was stopping even the possibility of a prison break. you did that on your own, no one asked you to, no one really thanked you for it. from what I heard, you were just about belittled for it. but, no sign of anger or hostility, no attempt to fight your guards or to try and escape yourself. that impressed me. so, by my decree, I hereby lighten your sentence and give you; community service. this is mandatory! you can't refuse.' she nodded, 'I understand, sir.' the king nodded, than nodded at Merus, 'you will be assigned as officer Jerren's assistance and apprentice. you will help him in his job. you will learn the job. you will do as he says. you will help him, help us, keep the galaxy safe. protect planets, protect people from danger. you will help bring down criminals, none fatally! step out of line, you go back in your cell. attempt to run, you will be taken down and returned to jail and put in a worse cell. attempt to or kill officer Jerren, you will be taken down and put in the worst kind of cell we've got, made especially for you.' android 18 nodded, 'I understand sir. I promise I won't run. but, I would like to ask, knowing how strong I am, how would you take me out. I would like to know,... if there's still some of doctor Gero's programming in me that might act up, you will be able to take me down.' Merus smiled and pulled out a devise she had feared 19 years ago. her and her brother's off switch. Merus smiled, 'with all the info Jerren send us, along with our greater level of technology, we were able to recreate this. Jerren will wear a heart monitor, as well as a devise that indicates brain activity. if he goes down, we will know and we will push the button.' android 18 nodded, 'understood. so, even if it's not me to take him down, I would be taken down?' Merus frowned, 'that depends on the situation. we'll remain in radio contact with Jerren as long as you're on community service. if something else takes him down, we will know about it. if it was you, we will know about it.' 18 nodded, 'understood. but, what did you mean with a worst cell special made for me?' the king snapped one of his tentacles and the screen behind his desk turned on. she gasped in shock, as she saw a white version of cell, tail out and, sucking up an android. cell did not change form, but seeing that was enough. the king scowled at her, 'we have had problems with androids before. to be blunt, we won't accept such things happening again. you misbehave, you will be punished! we may give murderers like you a chance to repent in prison, as well as a chance to show they've become better people through community service, but if all that was an act and you slip up, you will not be shown mercy again. and if it's an act, you better keep it up for the rest of your existence!' android 18 nodded and at Merus's command, she was released from the block, ropes, belts and straight jacket that were holding her. she was given a galactic patrol uniform, as well as a room to change into it. she put on the uniform and returned and Merus handed her something; a bangle of sorts. she put it on her left wrist, 'is this part of the uniform sir?' Merus shook his head, 'no, that's your shackle. like that entire containment unit prevented you from building up any ki for energy projectiles, this is one made from all of Gero's research and our better technology. Jerren will have a button to turn it off and on. only when he allows you to use your power will you be able to use it.' android 18 sighed and nodded in understanding. she should have known she wouldn't be given any real freedom. not after 19 years of her killing and destroying lives just because she thought it was fun. she deserved punishment. yet they gave her a chance to improve. she would be heavily monitored, her power restrained and the threat of what would happen if she killed again was all to clear. so, now she would have to show she was truly genuine. as the guards brought her back to the ship, they flew to galactic patrol HQ, to bring her to her new partner; Jerren.

Android 18 was awoken by an alarm bell and she shot up, sitting in her bed. she was currently in her room that had been granted to her as the newest member of the Galactic patrol. she saw the time and quickly hurried out of bed. a quick shower, fixing her hair and putting on her patrol uniform. that, plus the bangle that she'd put on yesterday that she couldn't remove, made for a nice accessory. even though, as an android, she didn't need to eat, she did. after all the prison slob she had been taking in, it was nice to eat something that actually tasted good. having quickly finished her breakfast, she went to the training hall, where Jerren had asked to meet her. he was waiting for her and as she arrived, he looked at his watch, 'cadet; you are two minutes late.' she shrugged, 'sorry, I am not too familiar with the layout of the ship. plus, it's only my first day.' Jerren nodded, before typing something down as he mumbled, 'cadet is making excuses.' she frowned, 'no I am not. this is my first day. plus this place is big and has many training halls.' Jerren looked up at her calmly, 'say you got an alert about a robbery, or a fight breaking out. two minutes can make worlds of difference. if someone died because you're late, would you be making excuses to the family members who had just lost a loved one?' Lazuli wanted to reply, but closed her mouth and shook her head. Jerren nodded, 'good. now, since this is your first day, I will overlook it. this time. but be on time tomorrow. now, before we get started, here's this.' he handed her a big thick book that had; Galactic Patrol Handbook, written on the cover. she flipped through a few pages, 'so, what is this encyclopedia?' Jerren smiled, 'as it says on the cover. it's the Galactic Patrol Handbook. how we operate our ships, how we receive and handle cases in our sectors, how we respond to certain actions, all that and more, all of it is in there. read it, learn it, memorise it, do it.' Android 18 nodded, 'okay, and what if I am confronted with something unfamiliar and not written down in the book?' Jerren smiled, 'chapter 18, page 512; call HQ. now, did you have more questions, or shall we get started?' android 18 put the book at the side of the training hall and saluted, 'android 18, reporting for training, sir.' Jerren frowned, 'okay, that's the first thing we need to change. nice salute and all, but android 18 is a criminal. as my trainee and cadet, you will answer to Lazuli. understood?' she nodded and corrected herself, 'Lazuli, reporting for training, sir.' Jerren nodded, 'better. now, we'll start with something simple, apprehending a criminal. your training partner will be a foot soldier.' he pointed behind him where there stood a scrawny light blue alien with big yellow eyes. the little man frowned, 'you forget your place Jerren! I was with the patrol long before you. I am Jaco, the super elite!' Jerren frowned, 'oh, excuse me mister; super elite, who sat back, did nothing, while letting two android wreak havoc on earth while not letting anyone know for 19 years, Jaco.' Lazuli stood surprised as the alien named Jaco's face managed to turn red. but whether this was about embarrassment or anger, she couldn't tell. Jerren smiled, 'so, our super elite whose been demoted for not only not following the rules but also breaking some, will be your training partner. he'll be the criminal you have to apprehend.' Lazuli nodded and at the push of a button, the training hall seemed to come alive. structures the size of buildings rose out of the ground and came out of the walls, as well as poles and other smaller structures. and with that, Jaco was off, running away and hiding behind these buildings. Lazuli smiled, 'so, all I need to do is catch him? easy. even without ki blasts.' Jerren nodded, 'you sure about that? do you know what the criminal has done and what the procedure is for bringing him in?' Lazuli had taken a step, but now stood stumped, 'uh,... well, he betrayed the organisation he worked for. and I am guessing I bring him in with none lethal force?' Jerren frowned, 'just because Jaco has been demoted for his actions, does not mean that's the role he'll be playing in this scenario. and a cadet should not make up stories, like a certain not so super elite foot soldier.' a yelled; 'HEY!' came from somewhere in the training hall, as Jaco did not seem to like that comment. Lazuli nodded, 'okay than, sir, what is this criminal's crime?' Jerren smiled, 'he's a petty thief. wanted for ten counts of burglary.' Lazuli nodded, 'okay, than I'll go get him now.' Jerren's smile turned back into a frown, 'so, you know how to take down a thief? did you read the galactic patrol handbook about that?' she froze in her tracks again, before looking over at the book she had put down. she picked it up and looked for how to handle criminal cases. it took her about fifteen minutes before she found the section on petty thieves. they needed to be taken with minimal damage done. a light concussion at the most. nodding, she put the book down again, before running into the training hall. she looked behind and inside structures, but couldn't find this guy anywhere. if she had been able to sense energy like that Cell had done to track down Jerren, maybe she could have found this twerp easily. after twenty minutes of looking, Jerren blew a whistle. Lazuli looked and saw Jaco standing next to him. she charged at the twerp, before seeing Jerren had raised his hand, 'sorry Lazuli, but it took you too long to apprehend him. criminal Jacco has escaped. care to try again?' she nodded and Jaco ran back into the city, which with the press of a button, changes shape. some buildings in the training hall shrank, others grew bigger. new forms and structures appeared, giving the small town a completely new layout. Jerren told her that this time, Jaco was a bank robber. having left her handbook open, she found the term bank robber in two minutes and this time she was allowed to knock him unconscious. Lazuli ran into the new layout, looking for Jaco, but again, no matter where she looked, she couldn't find him. but she remembered; this guy was sensitive. she smirked, 'so, you're the great bank robber Jaco? but from what I heard, you're petty at best. always stating your name and title to everyone you meet, just to boost your fragile ego, because you know you're nothing but a snivelling pathetic waste of everyone's time!' again, another yell of indignation sounded throughout the training hall. she grinned and rushed toward the source of the sound. but, as she arrived at where the yell had come from, Jaco was already gone. the little guy was at least fast. compared to her he was weak, but this didn't mean he wasn't fast, or trained. he just had a fragile ego. Lazuli kept looking and tried taunting again, but this time Jaco didn't reply. and a few minutes later, Jerren blew his whistle again, as Jaco had managed to make it back to him. and so the day continued. Jaco ran into a new landscape of a new town each time and after heard what he stood accused of and reading what the proper handling of his crimes was, she chased after him. a few times she nearly had him, but he was rather quick and managed to escape her. the two times she thought she had him, he managed to out fight her. using tactics against her overwhelming strength, causing her to land face first on the ground. with breaks for lunch and dinner, Lazuli was running herself ragged, or she would if she didn't have an infinite energy engine. after training was over, she would read the handbook as instructed by Jerren. and, not needing sleep, she spend the entire night reading. but even that didn't allow her to read everything. and so the week went by. each day she came closer to catching Jaco and in some cases, she didn't need to read her handbook again to know what to do, as she had already read it before. even so, it wasn't until her seventh day that she finally managed to catch Jaco. and not just once, but again, and again and again and again. and she had also managed to read everything in the handbook. with all the training and studying, she had unlocked a human part in herself. she had started being able to sense energy, which she had used to track jaco and finally catch him. with this training complete, Jerre told Lazuli she could accompany him on an actual mission. a simple one and a familiar one on top of that. Jerren remembered this guy; Geppuman. a notorious dine and dasher, who made it his life's work to eat in restaurant and leave without paying. he had been Jerren's first case, and first failure. now was his chance to correct that mistake, catch him and lock him up. and it was Lazuli's chance to prove herself in the field. an easy task, but an important one. capture a criminal without losing control, or loss of life.

Lazuli sat down in Jerren's ship for the second time. but this time, no handcuffs. Jerren typed in the coordinates for the restaurant that had been robbed and flew his ship out of the hanger, tacking of. Lazuli pulled up the file of Dine and Dashed Geppuman, a big frog man kind of alien. he had been to many of the restaurants in the galaxy. not just in the east where they were, but in the north, south and west as well. so long as he could get the best meal, for extremely high prices, he would go there. some times he would disguise himself, in case someone might recognise him. but they would realise soon enough who their dinner guest had been. Lazuli looked over to Jerren, 'have you ever encountered this guy before?' Jerren nodded, 'I have. he was my first mission actually. I was a new recruit and put under the command of some purple faced shrimp who calls himself a super elite.' Lazuli smirked, 'you? you were placed under Jacco?' Jerren nodded, 'I was. so, we went after Geppuman, we followed leads and after a few days we tracked him down. back than, he wasn't a good fighter. he used a blaster, but wasn't a good shot. good thing there were no bystanders, or he might have hit someone.' Lazuli nodded, 'so, not a good fighter, or good with a gun. so, how come this guy is still out there pulling the same tricks as back then?' Jerren sighed, 'well, back than I believed Jacco when he said he was a super elite. and, in certain ways he is. Jacco is not strong, or the most diligent, but he's trained. he can fight and his eyes and aim are so sharp that he won't miss when he shoots. his skill in combat is real. he'd stand no chance against someone like Frieza or his Ginyu force, but any grunt working for him stands no chance against him. any way, I'm getting off topic.' Lazuli nodded and Jerren continued, 'so, Jacco easily took out Geppuman and slapped the handcuffs on the frog. we took him to the ship to lock him up, when he complained he needed to go to the bathroom. we thought, he's handcuffed, we're standing outside the door, he can't escape. so we let him. we waited, it took long. too long. I ripped the door open and Geppuman had taken the toilet off of the ground, dug his way through the ship and had escaped. and he had damaged our ship so much that we couldn't pursue him until two days later, by which time he was long gone. so, we're not going to repeat that mistake this time.' Lazuli nodded, 'understood.' as they were nearing the planet of the accident, Jerren looked over at her, 'okay, dine and dasher. how do you handle him?' Lazuli thought back to the countless training drills she had been forced to memorise, 'let's see; first get him to stop and tell him to surrender. if he does, slap the handcuffs on him. if he resists, tackle him to the ground and slap the handcuffs on him. if he fights back, same approach. if, like you mentioned he possessed, he pulls a weapon, we're allowed to use more force. but, under no circumstances do we kill him.' Jerren nodded, 'at the very least, you don't kill. you're not allowed to, unless it's an emergency. you know what happens if you misbehave!' Lazuli nodded, looking at the bangle which prevented her from using any energy blasts, as well as all the warnings that Merus and the King had given her. she had trained, she had studied, now she needed to maintain control when interacting with others. the memory of that white Cell they had made was scary enough. she'd behave to the best of her abilities. Jerren landed his ship next to the restaurant that had been victimised. Jerren looked at her, 'okay, you just watch and learn. let me do the talking.' she nodded and followed him outside the ship and into the restaurant. as they walked in, Jerren showed his badge, showing he was with the Galactic Patrol, asking for the manager. Lazuli looked around and noticed that nothing really seemed wrong. the guests were sitting at tables and eating,... what she assumed was food. well, aliens eating alien food, she wouldn't judge. but, this Geppuman had not caused damage. she could only guess his frog legs were fast for him to run out of so many places. as the manager showed up, seeing two officers, he quickly stepped up to them. Lazuli, having seen many aliens, was still surprised by some forms. like the bird man, wearing something akin to a tuxedo. the feathers that were at the end of his wings came out of his sleeves and seemed to act like hands and fingers. the bird came to stand before them, 'good. you're here. that filthy frog ate the most expensive meal possible, even asking for seconds at each part. but when it came time to pay, he ran for the door. when some of my staff tried to stop him, he pulled a gun on them!' Jerren frowned, 'did he shoot anyone? or shoot at all?' the bird shook his head, 'he did not. he just waved it around, as a threat. but the way he waved it, I feared it could go off at any moment. he ran to his ship and took off.' Jerren noted this down, 'understood. did he say where he was going? or did you seen in which direction he was flying?' the bird clicked his beak and chirped and his waiters showed up. he looked by them, 'which of you served that thieving Frog who tried eating here for free?' one of the women raised her hand, before the bird asked, 'as you spoke to him, did he say anything about where he was going next?' she thought a moment, 'where he's going? wait, I do believe he mentioned it. he said he wanted to sample the best food this planet had to offer. he mentioned our only rival; the Bōshoku restaurant.' the bird nodded, 'good. Cliff! you saw in which direction he flew off, did you not?' one of the men nodded and pointed out the direction where his ship had went before vanishing over the horizon. the bird nodded, 'that tracks. that is the direction of the Bōshoku restaurant. if you hurry, you can catch up to him before he arrives!' Jerren nodded, finished noting everything down, as this would all add to the list of crimes for which Geppuman would go to jail. wielding a weapon, threatening people with said weapon, eating without paying and planning to do so many more times, while already having done so countless times over the year. not to mention evading capture and resisting arrest. he would likely be behind bars for the rest of his life. that, along with the community service he would have to perform within the jail every day to pay for all the meals he had eaten before dashing away. Jerren's ship rocketed away, much faster than Geppuman's ship. the frog had landed to refuel his ship, something he planned to skip on paying the bill as well, when the galactic patrol officers landed and Lazuli jumped out, 'Geppuman! you're under arrest!come quietly and safe yourself any trouble!' the frog croaked, before running to his ship. one shot from Jerren's blaster later and the ship wouldn't be leaving any time soon. Lazuli walked toward the frog, 'trying to run only makes it worse! surrender!' Geppuman tried to move toward the other people who were refuelling, but Jerren landed in between the frog and them. slowly being driven into a corner, he pulled out his gun and aimed at Lazuli, before firing, hitting her face. but instead of her dropping like he expected, she only got angry. Jerren nodded, adding attempted murder of an officer to the list of his crimes. Lazuli stomped forward, rather angry over what this frog tried to do. Geppuman shot at her a few more times, but this time she deflected the blasts away from herself and the people behind her and Jerren. she grabbed the frog's wrist in a vice grip, before grabbing his throat with her other hand, 'shooting me was the worst mistake of your life!' Jerren frowned, 'recruit Lazuli! control yourself!' Lazuli caught herself in what she was doing and released the frog's throat, before pinning him to the ground and cuffing both his hands behind his back, before picking up the gun the frog had used, as evidence. she handed it to Jerren, who gave her a calm concentrated look, 'remember, control yourself. in this job, people might shoot at you, might try to kill you, but this does not give you the right to do the same.' she nodded, before dragging the frog into Jerren's ship. as the frog slightly came to his senses, he cleared his sore throat, 'excuse me. but, before we leave, can I use your bathroom for a moment? I really need to go.' Jerren smiled, 'sorry, officers only. but, don't worry. the trip to prison's not that long. you can use the bathroom there all you want.' Lazuli nodded, strapped the prisoner in for transport, 'and don't worry, in prison you won't have to pay for the food, you can eat as much as you want. not that the slob they feed you is worth even one zeni.'