Childhood.
Chapter 1.7
Enemies.
"One of the first things I noticed when we landed was that ship you have. A King Cold original." Nana could see Celerave had no idea what she was talking about. "Your ship. It belongs to the Father of Freeza."
"Hail Freez,-" Celerave covered her mouth. As fun as it is to say and do the dance, she didn't want her mother to wash her mouth with soap again.
Even Nana seemed like she was repressing rage.
"Anyway, you'll find that this vessel is different. It can't go to space, but it can go ten times the speed of sound unmanned." Flipping on a few lights and panels, Nana saw the girl get mesmerised by a new ship.
It had all the furnishings and facilities to act as a home, office, gym, and even medical transport in times of emergency, and in the off chance of the GP needing to engage in conflict, is fully armed.
"Tell me Rave, what do you do for fun? You and your parents?"
"We fight!" She declared proudly. "I'm going to be stwongest there is!"
"I see… And your parents, what do they do for work?"
"Um…" Celerave watched Nana take a bar off the wall. She seemed occupied with placing thick black disks on either end one at a time. "My dad goes into space. A lot of people got hurted last time he went out." Celerave pouted as she tried to recall what she'd been told. "I wanted to go wiv him and help him. But I had to go wiv my mum… Oh! There was a broken bridge!" She declared. "I helped wiv that. There were people fallwing in the water, but I tooked the wope and jumped away wiv it!" She giggled. "and mum put someone in the hospital."
Nana looked puzzled. Beyond the concerning glee that the girl speaks with. If a bridge collapsed and people got hurt, it should have made the news somewhere.
"Where was this?"
"At the Al'Colics!" Celerave smiled. "We get our food from them all the time."
"Is that so…" An unadvanced culture that can't ask for outside help. A perfect target.
Nana had just finished placing the last of the 20k weights on the bar.
"I'm almost done here, do you mind putting this against the wall for me?"
"Okay…" Celerave bent to pick up the bar. "oof…" She gritted her teeth and planted her feet. "That's' kinda heavy." She grunted as she set the bar up and stood against the corner.
"Thank you." Nana forced a smile as she led the girl further into the ship. The last stop was the medical station.
"I promised you something nice." Walking into a room that is built with a mini airlock to keep the pressure once the doors are closed, Nana pointed at a silver tube on a rack. "The one with the green sticker. If you can break it open, I'll give you a prize."
"You want me to bweak it?" Celerave looked puzzled, but Nana was holding up a mask of some kind. "What's that?"
"It's like a space helmet. I'll let you keep it If you can break that bottle." Nana let Celerave hold the mask, even try wearing it. "I know it's a bit big for you, but when you're older, it'll fit you like a sock."
Giggling at her reflection, Celerave handed the mask back and ran up to take the metal canister off the wall.
"I just break it?"
Nana nodded, taking a cautionary step back.
The girl grinned brightly, and with a pull of her arms, the canister started to bend, then it tore violently open as the pressure released at once.
Filling the room with a faint white fog that was hard to breathe. Mostly because of its foul odour.
Coughing and holding her throat, Celerave collapsed on the floor in a deep sleep.
As the fog cleared, Nana, wearing the mask, lifted the girl off the floor and placed her on the table.
With a deep filtered breath, Nana pulled the girl's trousers down her thighs, and as predicted, a tail revealed itself.
All the clues were already there, but she had to be sure.
Now that she had visual confirmation that she was dealing with a family of Saiyans, Nana felt a pain that hadn't left her since her home planet was overthrown by those savage monsters.
Grabbing a zip-tie, Nana looked at the sleeping girl's neck. Fastening the tie there would make sure she never moved again.
But instead, she fastened it sharply around the base of the girl's tail.
While many called for the extermination of captured Saiyans, the popular vote decreed that execution was too extreme, too cruel, despite the Saiyan's savage nature.
So under the ruins of Rutentark, a hidden base worked on a solution to end the Saiyan race peacefully.
Another tie was added to the girl's tail.
Because the Rutentark testing facility got submerged completely when one Saiyan was able to move even with their tail tied.
An oversight that cost so many lives and an irreplaceable amount of research into Saiyans and their weaknesses.
At that point, defeat was all but inevitable.
Plan B had to be advanced.
Build a rocket, find a new home.
Far from the Saiyans.
With the girl secured, Nana watched over her as the gas started to dissipate with the vents clearing the fog.
Celerave moved slightly as she started to wake up, but was too weak with her tail bound by not one but two plastic ties.
She whimpered and pleaded. Feeling both numb and pain all over.
It was pathetic, and it hurt Nana's sense of justice.
The Saiyan Tuffle War ended over twenty years ago.
There was no way this girl had any hand in what happened to Nana's people.
But still.
Her love for fighting. Her hidden allegiance to Freeza. Her want for destruction and her family's reign of terror on the Al'Colics and who knows who else cannot be overlooked.
Removing her mask, Nana turned the girl to face her.
"I should kill you. I know I might live to regret sparing your life. Mercy lost my people the war. We could have won. We should have. But we just had to be the better people, even if it killed us…" The venom dripped from every word she spoke, slamming her fist on the table to release her rage, she managed to compose herself again.
"I've outlived my parents thanks to you Saiyans." She said with coldness in her eyes and voice. "It's by my mercy that you may outlive yours." Placing an electronic cuff on Celerave's neck, Nana explained that if her energy reading ever exceeds the base requirement for standard living, it'll emit a painful shock.
If she ignores the warning, it'll release spring-loaded needles into her neck and inject poison.
"I'll explain this all to you again… After I'm done with your parents."
Leaving the weeping girl on the table, Nana grabbed two blaster rifles from the armoury.
Each one needs two hands to operate. However, at the power output needed to kill a Saiyan dead, it'll take ten seconds between shots.
So after shooting one, she'll switch to the second.
Two shots, she'll end it.
Decades of struggling with the memories, but now closure will be hers. For all who were killed in war. All who were murdered in cold blood. For those who died in vien.
There may never be justice. But at least there'll be vengeance.
Just as she was about to leave the ship, Terrelle appeared.
"What are you doing?"
"Here!" Handing the younger woman a rifle, Nana took cover behind the entrance. "They're enemies of the GP, and us." Nana declared.
Terrelle had never used a rifle before. Her role as an officer was to talk and de-escalate, not engage non-combatants.
"But, they're just living here! They're not preparing for a fight. Right now they're just trying to find their daughter!"
In the back of the ship, Terrelle heard whimpering.
"Nana…"
"They Are Saiyans!" Nana was seething with anger. "Avenge our people with me or stay out of it. But know that we lost the war because of that attitude!"
Nana could see the hesitation but smiled proud with Terrelle as the woman switched the rifle on.
"Good." Looking outside, she saw the husband run out of the house. "I'll get him."
"No…" Terrelle shot Nana in the leg.
Fortunately, the guns have a system to eliminate misfires in the event of fright, tripping, or in this case, stunning.
"Gus! Rhu! She's in here!" Terrelle announced, keeping the rifle on Nana, she grabbed the woman's rifle and ran into the back.
Nana's heart pounded in her chest as she watched helplessly as two Saiyans came charging towards the ship.
Rhuba suspected Celerave climbed aboard out of curiosity, but seeing Nana on the floor, she turned to Garagus hoping he had some explanation.
But both of the parents' uncertainty turned to rage when Terrelle appeared with Celerave in her arms.
"She's alright- Don't touch her!" She announced, pulling away but was unsuccessful in keeping the mother from grabbing her daughter. "Do not break her collar, it'll kill her without the key!" Terrelle pleaded, desperately trying to fight Rhuba off.
But Garagus pinned Terrelle against the wall.
"You better explain right now!"
"Unhand her!" Nana had climbed to the gun locker by the cockpit. Inside was a blaster pistol. She and Terrelle both new it lacked the power to hurt a Saiyan, but she hoped the Saiyans didn't know that.
"Nana!" Terrelle put her hand out. "I know they're Saiyans! I knew all along! That's why I put them on this planet!"
Suddenly, the younger GP found herself the centre of attention.
But first, she tried to reason with the father.
"Please, let me get you the key to the collar. It's in the safe."
Garagus kept hold of Terrelle's neck but was far gentler than he'd ever be if it were Nana in his hand.
As promised, Terrelle produced a key that freed Celerave from the device. Then it was just the two plastic ties that Rhuba broke with her teeth.
Celerave was crying openly as Rhuba carried her away, leaving Garagus to decide what would happen to the GP.
"I want some answers. Right now!"
"You'll get them." The young GP officer promised. "My name is Terrelle. I'm a Tuffle, just like Nana over there."
"Stop!" Garagus put his hand out, with his other, he lifted a scouter to his face. With a button pushed, he asked her to start over.
Clearing her throat, Terrelle recited for him once more.
She knew he was either recording or sending the audio to someone.
If the situation was reversed, she'd be doing the same thing.
"I knew who you were from the day we met." Holding up a clipboard, she had it all documented. "It's literally my job to investigate and log aliens. Your answers screamed Saiyan from the get-go." She chuckled nervously. "And since the Tuffles settled on Dapume, I thought it was poetic to have you be here too."
"More like idiotic!" Nana scorned from the floor. "How could you be so foolish!"
"Neo Flora…" Garagus muttered, remembering the power provider to the planet.
"Wordplay is fun, no?" Terrelle giggled. "Named after our old home, and it's the biggest power plant in the world."
Nana was in complete disbelief.
The enemy she had night terrors over. To think one of her own people, a child dressed in a GP uniform could be so idiotic as to invite them to their new safe haven.
Intelligence must skip a generation or two.
"What madness brought you to this, Terrelle? You never saw the destruction brought upon us by the Saiyans, but you have read about it!"
"Five years of living here and you didn't know before twenty minutes ago. Ergo, they're not an issue."
"The girl told me everything!" Nana staggered to her feet, still feeling weak knees from the stunning. "The Al'Colics are their intended victims. A destroyed bridge, the mother put someone in hospital." Glancing at the father, "She even said a lot of people got hurt when this one goes out to 'work', and she even wished she could have helped. And if that's not bad enough, a King Cold ship, and the girl had to stop herself from blurting out 'Hail Freeza' in front of me!"
Garagus stiffened with anger as he stepped forward.
"There's a lot you need to understand. She's a child. She repeats what she sees on tv because she thinks it's fun. But we will not allow her to even unknowingly give support to that bastard…"
A distracting thought entered his head. The first time he'd cussed since Celerave was born.
Worth it.
While Nana and Garagus argued, Terrelle pulled up the file she had.
"Going chronologically and starting when relevant, the Cold ship was registered to one, Captain Granate. His first officer went MIA and was replaced with a Saiyan Male. No name was ever submitted." Glancing at Garagus, Terrelle stated that they could all assume it was him. "The ship then appears as an advert going for sale at a repair station the GP seized six years ago. A key component of that mission was the assistance given to us by two individuals, Gus and Rhu. Then just shy of a year later, I encountered a Gus and Rhu at a GP-controlled station, who were looking to settle on a planet to raise their baby girl."
Removing her glasses, Terrelle showed footage from several sources that showed Garagus and Rhuba at the mentioned locations.
"So what?" Nana asked. "It's humbling to have your planet destroyed and be without a home. Who knows what untold damage they caused while working for Freeza and Cold?"
"We were an exploratory ship. Our job was to find worlds and rate their value."
"So a kill team could show up a month later." Nana stared Garagus in the eye.
"How old are you?"
"Best guess would be thirty-five. Why?"
"So you'd have been between three and thirteen during the conflict then?"
Garagus blinked.
"No… No, I was twenty when it ended."
"Okay." Nana rolled her eyes. "So tell me. How many of my people did you kill?"
"That's not fair," Terrelle stated. "How many Saiyans did you kill?"
Shooting her underling a dirty look, Nana smirked. Because she had the moral high ground.
"None. I didn't kill a single one. Not that it wouldn't have been justified after what they did."
Garagus could remember hungry nights growing up. Fighting over meals. Then there was when he and Rhuba were kidnapped.
"Maybe not you personally. But the Tuffles tried to stop us eating! Chief Vegeta rallied the Alphas and Dwellers alike because it was fight, or starve!"
Nana burst out laughing.
"All these years, and you're obviously still just a little boy under all that muscle. If Freeza was right about anything, the Saiyans really are shaved monkeys."
"Watch your mouth."
"Tell me what you remember of the war, Monkey." Nana crossed her arms. "I remember my home planet looking much like Dapume under a different sky. Lush forest, but never quiet. You'd always hear animals. Do you remember that?"
"Of course…"
"Do you? Because by your time, extinction rates had shot up. For an animal to be large enough to satisfy your hunger, it takes years of growing. Years, to satisfy one meal." Nana had to set her mind far back to remember times she'd rather forget. "We approached the Chief. Told him that it couldn't continue or else the world would become unsustainable. He killed our peaceful messengers. Killed the armed messengers. And destroyed the armoured drones that spoke our words from a safe distance. Next thing we knew, monsters were tearing up our cities. And ten years of bloodshed… All because of your literal blood thirst. Know how we kept eating during the war? We had infrastructure. We had underground irrigation systems that could feed a city four times over. If the Saiyans had listened to our proposals from the start, we could have kept the world alive without a single drop of blood being spilt."
Looking through the old archives. Terrelle pulled a video from thirty years prior.
Garagus hadn't seen the chief look so young. But even as a young man, he was still a prick.
The confrontation with the Tuffle envoy lasted only seven minutes before being abruptly ended with a lethal attack.
But even that little chat was full of contradictions from what Vegeta had told the Alphas. He deliberately made it sound like the Tuffles wanted to starve the Saiyans, instead of just subsidising their food with crops.
It's exactly what Rhuba and Celerave do with the Al'Colics.
They're unknowingly living as the Tuffles planned all these years later.
"You didn't answer my question." Nana sighed. "How many Tuffles did you kill?"
"I don't know." Garagus rubbed his head. He hadn't thought about the war in so long, and now it's all been turned on its head. "Rhuba and I tried to stay out of it."
"Rhu ba?" Terrelle rolled her eyes. "You need better aliases."
"We can talk about that later." Nana snapped. "You tried to stay out of the war? Then how were you captured?"
"They took us from…" Glaring at Nana, Garagus demanded to know how she could ever know that he and Rhuba got captured.
"I've always been suspicious about dark-haired people with defined muscle. And I'll admit that you are the first Saiyans I've encountered in decades. But your daughter was proof. She was everything I needed to see, I just wanted to hear if she was like the Saiyans from back then."
Terrelle typed away, but there was nothing in the archives that matched what Nana was talking about.
"If captured, you'd have been taken to Rutentark.
"Rutentark… It's a testing facility that got submerged five years into the war." Terrelle declared. "Looking into Saiyan genetics, but there's not much more than that."
"No there wouldn't be." Nana sighed.
She went on to explain that a formula was developed that nullifies targeted genes in the affected subject.
It reduces fertility with side-effects being insignificant in the simulated trials.
"The plan was to house the captives until after the war was over. Then release them to the wild to enjoy what remained of their lives. Unable to breed effectively."
"Wouldn't it have been easier to… cut his balls off?" Terrelle saw the hauntingly shocked expression on the present Saiyan. "Sorry, but it's true!"
"It wasn't just men. We had boys too. And it was agreed that such invasive surgery on young people was a violation. Plus, the end goal was to perfect the serum and use it as live ammo against those we couldn't capture."
"What does any of this have to do with my daughter?" Garagus demanded. "And if Rhuba and I were given this serum, why does she exist at all?"
"Because it couldn't go 100%. Bloody bureaucracy." She cursed. "Anything that strong went against your rights as people. The compromise was that the offspring would always be female. We hoped that would ensure a final generation that could breed in theory but not in practice. The fact that that even passed proves how dumb higher-ups really are." Nana laughed. "One reoccurring side effect. Pigment development in offsprings. It's not quite albinoism, but near enough. Her red eyes and silver hair were a giveaway the moment I saw her."
"She thinks she's some sort of monster because of you…"
"If she ever sees the full moon, she will be," Nana stated before turning to Terrelle. "And you. You planned this. You asked me to come here today. Why?"
"I wanted a chance for neighbours turned enemies, to become neighbours turned friends. And I didn't get the feeling from our first encounter that Gus and Rhu were bad people."
"Well good for you. How does it feel to be so certain of people?"
"I never expected you'd react the way you did." Terrelle mumbled. "What was your plan with her anyway? Would you take her back to Neo Flora as a prisoner forever? A life of constant pain and docility with her tail tied?"
Garagus grew enraged just thinking about it. Nana could feel the heat of his anger.
"Are you going to kill me?"
"I'd very much like to…" Garagus growled feeling every muscle in his arm tense. He could end Nana's life and repaint the room in just one motion. "But my girl has fears that she's some kind of monster thanks to your testing… I'm not going to confirm her fears."
"So what happens now? We can't continue like this. When Neo Flora finds out there are three Saiyans on Dapume, they'll never sleep easy again."
Garagus felt cold.
Without realising it, Nana just ended her own life and Terrelle's.
Every single Tuffle living on Dapume holds a reason to hate the Saiyans.
They can't be allowed to find out. If they tell Freeza… Rhuba and Celerave will be murdered.
This is the only way. They have to die.
"It's just another fear on top of existing troubles," Terrelle told Nana. "You really want to tell them this after Freeza's broadcast? They have enough to worry about."
Suddenly, she saw Garagus slump into a chair. His eyes were distant, like he was in shock. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine…" He breathed deeply. Feeling a rush of adrenaline wash over him. In the same way Nana nearly got them both killed, Terrelle just saved it.
The Tuffles don't want Freeza coming to Dapume any more than his family do. So exposing a family of Saiyans would risk everything they've built for themselves.
"I'll make you a deal." Grumbling into his hands. He looked up at Nana. "Neo Flora isn't even on the same continent as us. My family will stay on Colizar, and won't involve ourselves in your life. Outside of buying power, of course."
"No. I want you OFF Dapume!" Nana growled turning to Terrelle. "This is your fault! We were settled here and happy before you went and cocked it all up!"
Garagus stood up.
"Like it or not. We're neighbours again. And while you attacked my daughter without provocation, we've not made a single move against you or anyone else in the five years we've lived here. I'm sure there are many who'll testify to that."
"I can find his employment record." Terrelle started clicking away at her computer. "And once I'm done here, we can visit the Al'Colics. If they have any trouble, I'm sure they'll speak up."
"Just be quiet, Terrelle. Regardless of your intent, you sold out your people and harboured our enemies. If the GP weren't calling interstellar laws, I'd be within my right to execute you!"
"Well too bad that luring, gassing, restraining and threatening a child before attempting to murder her parents is against those laws you mentioned. Only execution isn't protocol."
"That is too bad," Garagus mumbled.
In the house,
From the moment Rhuba got her inside, Celerave fled to her hideaway.
Only this time, Rhuba sat in the room with her.
She had thought about crawling into the hideaway with Celerave to keep her company in her dark little space, but it was very cramped in there, and Celerave likes her own space when she hides.
So from outside the curtain, Rhuba hummed gentle lullabies while Celerave stayed hidden.
A laborious task, considering that even while wearing sweatpants, Rhuba's ass was sore and frozen from being on the stone floor.
All this time, Rhuba thought by keeping Celerave ignorant of the Saiyans she'd be protected.
But it doesn't matter.
It's the difference between her parents running away from Tuffle ships to avoid capture and Celerave gladly walking aboard to get captured.
There will always be enemies and keeping her in the dark isn't going to protect her, nor will continued lessons in how to fight.
No amount of training will keep her safe if she's unable to identify foes.
Eventually, the quiet in the room was abruptly ended when the sounds of the GP airbus started to take off.
Rhuba stood to attention as she heard it move away.
"I'll be here," She assured Celerave as she left the utility room and saw Garagus entering the house.
"Is she hurt?"
"She's had worse, just scared and confused." Rhuba then enquired about the noise she just heard. "I take it you didn't… kill them."
"I came close…" Garagus collapsed on the sofa. "I was so close…"
Sitting at his side and holding him warmly in her arms, Rhuab could feel the tension throughout his whole body.
Her hate towards Nana matched only by her concern for Garagus. So as much as she loathed having to burden him with another pressing question, it is one that needs to be asked.
"Do we have to leave?"
"No… They're not going to make a move." Garagus explained that according to Terrelle, the family qualify for protection by the GP. And although the Tuffles are very much their own settlement, GP officers are entangled in their political and military operations.
No move can be made without permission.
"In a way, I see this as a good thing. The Tuffles are very resourceful. Even now they're trying to mask the world's presence to the Freeza Force. It's not just us hiding here anymore. The whole world is hiding. Perhaps we're wrong in thinking that exposure will mean certain death."
Rhuba could see what he was saying, and it was worthy of discussion.
"But we'll need to talk about that later. Right now, we have a little girl to cheer up."
"Is she talking?"
"No… I've tried talking to her." Rhuba turned her attention out the window as she went over everything. "I don't even think she listened. Maybe she did. I just said there were bad people out there, and she needs to be careful… I think, we need to tell her about what Saiyans are."
"I think so too. But she needs to be willing to listen… And I have a thought on that." With a proud smirk, he walked into the utility room and knelt at the curtain. "Celerave, if you come out for me. I'll teach you how to fly?"
"Garagus…" Rhuba forced a grin to hide her murderous intentions. "I really wish we'd discussed this first…" She said through her teeth.
Garagus expected the girl to shot out with her tail wagging.
But there was nothing.
"She is in there, right?" Pushing the curtain aside, he saw that Celerave was sitting upright against the wall. She looked like she'd been crying in silence for a while.
"Are you frightened?"
Wiping her eyes, Celerave nodded her head.
"that woman was scary… I thought she was going to be nice…"
"Yeah. Do you remember on Hero Team Prima? Who's their leader?"
"Wowwin."
"Wo-win-, Warren! Warren the Warden, yes. Well, they're not afraid of scary people, and neither should you be." Reaching in, he took Celerave's hand and slowly led her out despite her reluctance.
Even if he had to drag her, he was not planning on having the entire talk on his knees.
Bringing her through from the cold and dark utility room to the living room, Garagus and Rhuba sat with the girl on the sofa.
There was loads to talk about.
"Long ago, we were forced to work for someone called Freeza…" Rhuba sighed.
"No. We need to start further than that." Garagus pulled out his scouter and set it to replay the conversation with the Tuffles.
About halfway through, the three of them heard Garagus swear.
The room almost became a vacuum as Rhuba gasped at him, however, the girl who had her ears defended by her mother's hands, didn't even notice.
By the end of it all, Rhuba and Garagus tried to explain everything.
The war with the Tuffles, who Freeza was and what the Saiyans did to countless worlds.
There was a lot being talked about that Celerave didn't fully comprehend.
All she knew is that people didn't like the Saiyans because of a lot of bad things they did.
It left her with a sinking feeling that maybe she is a monster after all.
"We didn't want to upset you with all of this. But the time has come for you to know why we need to hide our tails around people. But you need to understand that none of it is your fault. You didn't do anything wrong."
"Now that you know, we can start teaching you things about yourself. Like, the Oozaru…" Garagus told her.
Celerave looked up at her parents.
Space is real. Flying is real. War is real.
But turning into a giant monkey, that's just silly.
"Are you lying to me?"
"Next month. I've got a few days off during the full moon. And you'll see what real power looks like" Garagus told her with a grin. "If you think you're tough enough."
"I am…" Celerave tried to find solace in knowing that despite everything, her parents still believed in her. But there was something else troubling her. "Are we supposed to be bad?"
"No!" Her parents said together.
"You didn't do anything wrong, but that woman attacked for no reason. She was in the wrong." Rhuba told her. "When you're young, you try to make things good or bad. But some people don't care about that, they just hate because of what you are. And there's no changing what we are, but who you are is up to you."
"You can't make friends with everyone, Celerave. But that doesn't mean you need to make enemies of everyone." Garagus rubbed her head. "Think about your shows. Warren the Wardin is a hero, but he has enemies, doesn't he?"
"yeah…"
"So don't lose sleep over having enemies. Sometimes it can mean you're actually doing the right thing."
Celerave hugged her dad warmly, as Rhuba puzzled over what he just said.
It sounded sweet, but she couldn't help feeling there was a better way of putting it.
Before the talk could continue, the sound of airbus engines could be heard descending.
"Are they back?" Celerave curled up on her mother's lap as Garagus checked out the window.
"No, it's Clay." He turned to Celerave with a smile. "I think your new clothes have arrived."
